Without need for further purification, the monomer can be re-polymerizede.However, the new polymer, unlike typical petroleum plastics, can be converted back to its original small-molecule state for complete chemical recyclability.With the help of a seed grant from CSU Ventures, the chemists are optimising China Perform Mould Company their monomer synthesis process and developing, new, even more cost-effective routes to such polymers.Making the old version required extremely cold conditions that would have limited its industrial potential. For these same reasons, plastics waste in causing major environmental problems around the globe.
Synthetic polymers today include plastics, as well as fibres, ceramics, rubbers, coatings, and many other commercial products.The previous polymer also had low heat resistance and molecular weight, and, while plastic-like, was relatively soft.Plastics are cheap, lightweight and long-lasting.The research paves the way for a future in which new, green plastics, rather than surviving in landfills and oceans for millions of years, can be simply placed in a reactor and, in chemical parlance, de-polymerised to recover their value - not possible for todays petroleum plastics.