29001 Hwy 160 Durango, CO 81301 (970)247-2474 . December 8th, 2013 Jack's Plastic Welding, Inc.

115 S Main Ave Aztec, NM 87410 To whom it may concern: My family has been using Jacks Plastics products for several years, and I have been consistently amazed with the quality and durability of your products. We are thoroughly convinced that your boats and pads are the best on the market, especially considering that theyre made so close to home. In recent research that I have conducted, I have come across an interesting material that would make your excellent products even better. You currently use PVC coated polyester, which combines the properties of polyester fabric with a protective, airtight coating. The final product is an assembly made up of two compounds. The first compound, polyester, contributes properties like abrasion resistance, shrinking resistance, and strength under tension. Also, polyester stays strong when wet, clearly an important property for boat making material. These properties are a result of the type of chemical bonds (covalent) that hold the polyester together. Covalent bonds are stronger than most other types of bonds and are also insoluble in water. Because polyester is a polymer, it is made up of long, chain-like molecules. In polyester, these chains become extremely tangled, resulting in its high tensile strength and abrasion resistance. The PVC coating is also a polymer, and is applied in liquid form and then hardened during the manufacturing process. Like polyester, PVC is insoluble in water, so it forms a water proof seal. Because it is applied as a liquid, it fills all gaps in the polyester fabric so that it also creates an airtight seal. Combined, these two materials are extremely strong and abrasion resistant, resulting in the durability and rigidity of the final product. However, in spite of the near-indestructible properties of this combination, over time, it can still develop small pinhole leaks. The cataraft tubes that we had eventually had two small pinhole leaks. Granted, they were about 25 years old and had several owners. Our paco-pads have also developed pinhole leaks in the corners, an issue that you have since solved with the corner protectors that you put on your new pads. A recent project completed by Spanish chemists has resulted in a new material that I think could be used to increase the durability of your products even more: self-healing polymers. According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, the material, a compound called poly(ureaurethane), can regain 97% of its original strength after being broken. This polymer is classified as an elastomer, which basically means

that it is a type of rubber. This results in it being stretchy, pliable, and soft. When broken, all you have to do is set the broken pieces of the polymer together for two hours and the polymer will heal. These polymers can heal themselves by reforming cross-linking bonds. When cut, molecules within the polymer, called aromatic disulfides, reform the broken cross-linked bonds between other aromatic disulfide molecules. Cross linking is a type of bonding that occurs in polymers. Polymers are made of long molecules, and sometimes bonds form between these molecules. This is called cross linking, and it results in higher melting point and greater strength. In the self-healing polymer, cross-linked bonds are re-formed through a process called metathesis. Normally metathesis requires some additional stimulus, such as a certain pH or application of heat or light, but when aromatic disulfides are included, it can occur at room temperature. The material used in this case is a simple polyurea-polyurethane that is found in common household items like paints and insulation. The only difference here is the inclusion of the aromatic disulfides, which are also very common. My recommendation is to include this polymer in some of your products. All inflatables eventually develop small leaks, whether from regular wear and tear or genuine misuse. If you were to include a very thin (1-5mm thick, depending on the product) layer of this self-healing polymer in between layers of fabric on your boats, paco-pads, and even river bags, these small leaks would seal themselves without ever being noticed. In addition, if a large rip or tear was sustained, you could simply place the edges of the tear together for two hours and it would become airtight. A patch would still be required to for strength, but the patch would never leak because of the airtight, sealed polymer beneath it. There are some issues with this idea that Im sure you would be able to solve. For example, the polymer would have to be contained between two layers of fabric (the inner layer could be very thin) so that it doesnt bond to itself. This would inevitably increase the weight of your products. Also, the cost would probably increase, though not markedly. However, I think that these problems are merely minor issues that are easily overcome. As far as weight, the polymer could replace double bottoms on catarafts and rafts, requiring less fabric in general. Also, for the majority of applications, weight isnt the main concern of boaters: once on the water the weight of the tubes goes unnoticed, at least to a point. As for cost, it would increase because you are adding more materials to your products, but it wouldnt increase by much. All of the materials required for the construction of the polymer are very cheap and easy to come by. Thank you for your consideration of my idea. I would welcome any feedback that you may have about my suggestion, feel free to contact me at the address above or email me at ggianniny@gmail.com. Sincerely,

Gordon Gianniny 11th grade student at Animas High School