Scientific Achievement

Researchers in the CUP Program demonstrated that by using operando X-ray, Raman, and NMR spectroscopies, discovered that polymer chains in plastics are more rapidly hydrolyzed to reusable monomers when they are stretched. By tailoring the reaction medium, and therefore extent of stretch, rates were 6x faster.

Significance and Impact

By increasing the rate bond breaking in polymers, they may be recycled more efficiently, toward a more reliable circular economy for plastics.

Research Details

  • Use of kosmotropic or chaotropic counterions controlled the degree of swelling, extent of mechanochemical activation 
  • Developed operando NEXAFS at ALS for quantifying reaction rates in solid polymer samples in contact with acids
  • In situ Raman and MD simulations showed that counterions further influence deconstruction rates at the molecular level by altering the structure of water near the sites of bond cleavage

Publication Details

M. Hua, Z. Peng, R.D. Guha, X. Ruan, K.C. Ng, J. Demarteau, S. Haber, S.N. Fricke, J.A. Reimer, M.B. Salmeron, K.A. Persson, C. Wang, B.A. Helms, Science Advances (2024).

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq3801

Work was performed in part at both the Molecular Foundry and the Advanced Light Source.