SciTech Pulse
Technology

Scientists Dissolve One of the Toughest Plastics for the First Time

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Sandia National Laboratories have found a way to break down pDCPD, a durable plastic used in vehicle bumpers and construction gear that previously had no practical…

Step by step

  1. 1

    Object placed in solvent and catalyst

  2. 2

    Solution stirred for hours to days

  3. 3

    Plastic dissolves like sugar in water

  4. 4

    Powder and fibers recovered from solution

  5. 5

    Materials reused in new plastics

A team led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Sandia National Laboratories has developed a way to break down one of the toughest plastics in everyday use, without the heavy energy cost and waste of . The plastic, called poly(dicyclopentadiene) or pDCPD, is durable and lightweight, and is used in vehicle bumpers, construction equipment and chemical storage tanks. Until now, it had no practical way to be recycled and was typically incinerated instead — a process that needs large amounts of energy, produces harmful byproducts, and degrades the reinforcing fibers blended into the material. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.

To dissolve an object made of pDCPD, the researchers place it in a solution containing an environmentally friendly solvent and a ruthenium-based , then stir it for a period ranging from hours to days depending on its size. The plastic deconstructs and dissolves in the solution, similar to a sugar lump dissolving in water, leaving behind a powder that can be reused in new plastics. Any reinforcing fibers, such as carbon or glass, can also be recovered in pristine form and reused in new materials.

'Before now, people might have avoided using these materials, despite their strength, durability and lightness, because they didn't have a good way to recycle them,' said Zak Page, a UT associate professor of chemistry and the paper's corresponding author. 'Switching to pDCPD might mean the same product can perform better, while also having a longer lifespan before it needs to be recycled.' One open question is whether the ruthenium catalyst itself can be recovered and reused, which would make the process more sustainable and affordable.

The method grew out of an accident. UT Austin graduate student Keldy Mason, the study's first author, was testing a solution meant to make 3D-printed pDCPD more durable when it instead dissolved the material. 'This type of material has been around for a long time, and the wisdom was that it was just too thermodynamically stable for this reaction to proceed in reverse,' Page said. 'So, this was quite a surprise.'

Terms explained

The story so far

  1. Scientists Create Brilliant White Material Without a Drop of White Pigment
  2. Scientists Turn Flexible Plastic Waste Into Fertiliser That Helps Plants Grow
  3. Chinese Scientists Quadruple Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power With New Proton Interface
  4. Molten Salt Turns Hard-to-Recycle Plastic Into Fuel at Low Heat
  5. Textbooks Have Taught the Inductive Effect Wrong for Nearly 100 Years, Study Finds
  6. New Membrane Makes It Easier to Detect Fish DNA Traces in Seawater
  7. Scientists Dissolve One of the Toughest Plastics for the First Time
#recycling#plastics#materials science#UT Austin#chemistry
Rate this story

Related stories