Strong, stable polymer can be recycled again and again
Heat or chemical treatment converts plastic back to its pure monomer repeatedly
by Bethany Halford
April 26, 2018 | APPEARED IN VOLUME 96, ISSUE 18
The new recyclable polymer created in the Chen lab has mechanical strength on par with popular plastics.
Developing a practical polymer that can break down to its monomer and then be repolymerized over and over again has been a long-standing goal of plastics makers and recycling advocates. Such a material would dramatically cut down the need for virgin feedstocks and would vastly improve the life cycle of plastics. While repeatedly recyclable polymers have been made, their properties simply aren’t as good as those of commonly used plastics—until now. Chemists Eugene X.-Y. Chen, Jian-Bo Zhu, Eli M. Watson, and Jing Tang at Colorado State University have created a recyclable polymer with mechanical strength and thermostability that’s comparable to popular plastics.
https://cen.acs.org/materials/polymers/Strong-stable-polymer-recycled-again/96/i18
