Polymer material refers to the monomer by polyaddition reaction or polycondensation reaction of the polymer and the resulting material, such as various plastics, rubber, etc., it is also the raw material for the manufacture of textile synthetic fiber.With the rapid development of high-tech, polymer The application of materials in all walks of life is increasing day by day. However, the harm to the environment caused by the non-degradability and low recycling rate of polymer materials can not be underestimated. Now it has become a worldwide difficult problem in solid waste disposal.
Green polymer material is an environmentally friendly polymer material. 'Green' refers to the synthesis of polymer materials from the source - the monomer to start, choose environmentally friendly monomer materials and synthetic processes, and consider the synthesis of high The compatibility of the molecular material with the environment (ie, natural degradation or depolymerization in a short period of time) and the life cycle of the product (after use of the product).
Although the current green polymer materials mainly in the biodegradability research, but looking for greener, sustainable synthetic materials has been the goal pursued by scientists, especially the use of 'greenhouse gas' CO 2In recent years, the research of synthetic polymer materials frequently appears in the world's top academic journals.
Recently, the Ted Sargent team at the University of Toronto in Canada released a study that said it has found the most effective way to convert CO 2Into ethylene, while ethylene can then be used to make polyethylene, the world's most widely used plastic with an annual output of about 80 million tons.
It is understood that the core of this study is CO 2Reduction reaction process, with the help of the catalyst, through the current and chemical reaction CO 2Into other chemicals in this reaction, many metals can be used as a catalyst, such as gold, silver and zinc can catalyze the formation of CO, while tin and palladium can catalyze the formation of formic acid, copper can catalyze the production of ethylene using Canadian Light Source Exclusive scientist Tom Regier developed a unique device that allows researchers to study in real time the type, shape, and chemical environment of a copper catalyst throughout a carbon dioxide reduction reaction, thereby confirming the precise conditions that maximize ethylene production and maximizing the catalyst by adjusting the catalyst To increase ethylene production while at the same time minimizing methane production.This study has been published in the latest issue of Nature Catalysis in the Nature series.
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2Surface of nanostructured copper catalysts converted to ethylene
Prior to this, a research group at the Stanford University in the United States also published a paper published in Nature, a study that can convert plant materials such as carbon dioxide and crop residues into plastics.The researchers mixed carbonate Salt, CO 2And furoic acid derived from furfural, they are heated to 200 ° C, showing a molten salt state for 5 h, 89% of the total molten salt mixture is converted to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, which in turn produces a certain Polyethylene terephthalate polyethylene terephthalate (PEF) to varying degrees, while 2,5-furandicarboxylate, unlike terephthalic acid, can be a derivative of a biological material.
In addition, bio-plastics, which are produced under the action of microorganisms based on natural substances such as starch, are very environmentally friendly because Meiji University succeeded in increasing the hydrogen biosynthetic enzymes of cyanobacteria, Acids and lactic acid are expected to contribute to solving the environmental and energy problems of the future. The research is published in Algal Research.
