Researchers at Osaka University have developed a groundbreaking new polymer design that promises to revolutionize the world of plastic recycling. By creating tough, high-performance polymers that can be broken down easily and precisely into their component parts, they have overcome the longstanding tradeoff between toughness and recyclability. This innovation could lead to a future where plastic pollution is a thing of the past, and chemically recyclable polymers become the norm.
Addressing the Plastic Pollution Crisis
Plastics have taken over every part of our life and the very properties which add to their utility, strength and longevity has a direct role to play in increasing amounts of plastic pollution. While chemical recycling sounds perfect in theory, a lot of options available today require downgrading the polymer or producing lower-quality materials from next-generation methods.
But now, researchers fields says people at Osaka University display finally cracked that. The balance they have found by creating a method for producing tough, chemically recyclable polymers while also maintaining high heat and chemical resistance could change the way we view the entire industry.
This Is The Key to Chemical Recycling
The researchers’ novelty is based on the so-called ‘directing group’, a molecular feature acting as Sieving system that selectively allows breaking down of polymer chains; a lock which can only be opened when its key, metal catalysts are present. That said, the attractive properties of these polymers will allow them to be used in tough end-use environments while retaining their superior performance and yet still disintegrate into as good as new resources.
As lead author Satoshi Ogawa explains, ‘We had already understood from previous studies that in tough conditions the links formed between monomers need to be really strong yet in some cases this connection should be weakened for recycling. To our surprise, no one until then had successfully added a directing group that would cleave the strong bonds only when there was a metal catalyst.
Unlocking the plastic circular economy of the future
The significance of this breakthrough cannot be overstated. With tough, chemically recyclable polymers, the scientists have laid a new path to plastics that aren’t contributing to environmental pollution. It is their capability to convert these polymers back into their pure constituents and then rebuild the pure material once again, which allows for a ceaseless lifecycle of plastics.
‘ With the ultimate specifics left to be hammered out, senior author Mamoru Tobisu is optimistic ‘This unprecedented design will allow us to develop high-performance polymers that are recyclable ad infinitum without any quality loss’. This could finally eliminate the long-held compromise between durability and recyclability, which would present a future for plastics sustainable enough to overcome their current image crisis in all sectors using this incredible material.
