According to New Atlas, although plastics are used in many ways, this is not the most environmentally friendly material. As we continue to use plastic products, the pollution of marine plastics is also becoming increasingly serious. We have even seen plastics appearing in Arctic sea ice. Penetrating into the deepest part of the ocean and even into the human food chain. In an attempt to get out of this situation, CSU chemists have now developed a polymer that clearly has all the advantages of plastic but can be easily Decomposition and recycling.
The design of the new polymer is similar to the plastic used in everyday use, which means it is lightweight, heat-resistant, and durable. The difference is that compared to traditional plastics, recycling is much easier, whereas traditional plastics require toxic chemistry. Product or complex process to decompose recycling.
The team's new material manufacturing process is also relatively environmentally friendly. Its monomers can be polymerized at room temperature within minutes using a small amount of catalyst and no solvent. However, this polymer is chemically recyclable and designed for The mild reaction of the catalyst easily decomposes into the monomer state. Then it can be re-polymerized without first purification.
New materials were established on the team's previous study of chemically recyclable polymers, but the current iterative method has been significantly improved. According to reports, the old version is soft, low in heat resistance and molecular weight and needs to be produced under extremely cold conditions - And now everything has improved. Researchers hope that the new polymer and its recycling process will one day reduce the amount of plastic waste in landfills and oceans. Prior to this, the team was studying other ways to synthesize these materials and How to expand recycling infrastructure.
Eugene Chen, principal researcher of the project, said: 'The polymer can in principle be recycled chemically without recycling. 'Our dream is to see this chemical recyclable polymer technology appear in the market.'
The study was published in the journal Science.
