Clever ring-strain engineering creates infinitely recyclable polymer – but are they ready to compete with commercial plastics?
Ultra-stable polymer that can be broken down into its feedstock could be a foot in the door to a circular plastics economy
Chemically recyclable polymers with thermal stabilities comparable to those of commercial plastics have been created by scientists in the US. The materials can be broken down into their building blocks and then reassembled into new plastic many times over – a dream for sustainable plastics, though one whose commercial reality might still be a long way off.