Swiss researchers have developed a new type of recyclable plastic that can be used for airplanes, cars and wind turbines, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Empa, announced on Tuesday. “The production of carbon fibers requires a lot of energy and an enormous amount of CO₂ is released,” explains research group leader Sabyasachi Gaan in the Empa press release.
“If we could recycle them, their carbon footprint would be a lot bigger – and the price would be a lot lower,” Gaan added. The researchers have made epoxy resin, which is actually not recyclable, recyclable. The material was presented in the Chemical Engineering Journal.
Polymer chains prevent melting
Epoxy resins belong to the so-called duromers, in which polymer chains are closely linked. These kinds of networks prevent the plastic from melting, which is necessary for recycling. Thermoplastic materials such as PET behave differently. Although the polymer chains are close together, they are not cross-linked.
While recycling is made easier, it also has drawbacks. However, due to the lack of crosslinking, their mechanical properties at elevated temperatures are usually not as advantageous as those of duromers, Empa said. According to the researchers, the new epoxy resin combines this property: it is actually a thermoset, but can melt like a thermoplastic.
Bonds can be broken again
To do this, the scientists added a special molecule from the class of phosphonic acid esters to the epoxy resin. This creates bonds with polymer chains that can be broken again under certain conditions. Therefore, the cross-linking becomes looser, so that they can be melted and deformed. According to Empa, the result is a recyclable material that is flame retardant and mechanically resistant.
Source: Krone
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