‘Infinitely’ recyclable polymer shows practical properties of plastics

The world fell in love with plastics because they're cheap, convenient, lightweight and long- lasting. For these same reasons, plastics are now trashing the Earth.

Colorado State University chemists have announced in the journal Science another major step toward waste-free, sustainable materials that could one day compete with conventional plastics. They have discovered a polymer with many of the same characteristics we enjoy in plastics, such as light weight, heat resistance, strength and durability.

But the new polymer, unlike typical petroleum plastics, can be converted back to its original small-molecule state for complete chemical recyclability. This can be accomplished without the use of toxic chemicals or intensive lab procedures.

 

Read more at Colorado State University

Image Credit: Bill Cotton/Colorado State University

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