𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 – 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐝

A new type of plastic that turns into a gas when heated and reforms into a solid when cooled has been developed by scientists at the #UniversityofSurrey, opening up a new approach to processing and recycling polymers. 

In a study published in Macromolecules, researchers introduce a novel polymer that could simplify how materials are applied, removed and recycled by eliminating several of the complex processing steps used today. 

Conventional plastics such as #polyethylene, used in everyday products such as carrier bags, #foodpackaging and shampoo bottles, are persistent and not suitable for #chemicalrecycling. While other chemically recyclable polymers have been developed, they typically require much higher temperatures of around 150–200 degrees Celsius to break down, and the recovered material often needs additional chemical processing before it can be turned back into a #plastic. 

The Surrey team's new material is similar to polyethene in that it is soft, insoluble and hydrophobic, but it can be heated to just 90 degrees Celsius, where it undergoes efficient #depolymerisation – breaking down into its individual building blocks, known as monomers. Unlike most depolymerisation processes, where the recovered monomers are liquids, Surrey’s material forms a gas instead. As the vapour cools, it spontaneously reforms into the original waterproof polymer with the same properties as before.

The full paper can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.6c01500  

source : University of Surrey