27 Jan 2022 --- Researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, and Duke University, US, have developed a new polymers family from sugar-based materials. The polymers retain the same qualities as common plastics, but are both degradable and mechanically recyclable. To create two new types of polymer, the scientists used sugar-based starting materials, rather than petrochemical derivatives. While one of the new polymers is stretchable like rubber, the other is tough but ductile, like most commercial plastics.Furthermore, the chemical similarity of the polymers means that, unlike a lot of current commodity plastics, they can be blended together to yield materials with comparable or improved properties.“The ability to blend these polymers together to create useful material offers a distinct advantage in recycling, which often has to deal with mixed feeds,” explains Dr. Josh Worch from Birmingham’s School of Chemistry and co-author in the research.Dr. Connor Stubbs, also from Birmingham’s School of Chemistry, adds: “Petrol-based plastics have had decades of research, so catching up with them is a huge challenge. We can look to the unique structures and shapes that biology have to offer to create far better plastics with the same expanse of properties that current commercial plastics can offer.”
