27
November 2003
Green plastics: Recycling path
Most plastics today are thermoplastics, made by heating polymer resin
above its melting point or glass transition temperature (Tg), then shaping
it under pressure and cooling to solidify. That consumes large amounts
of energy and results in plastics that are not easily recycled. A novel
class of polymeric materials called baroplastics addresses these drawbacks.
Baroplastics can be moulded by pressure-induced mixing of nanophase domains
of high-Tg (100
°C) and low-Tg (–50 °C) components. Baroplastic
block copolymers and core–shell nanoparticles have been synthesized
and then processed at room temperature into transparent objects by compression
moulding. These materials have potential as recyclable 'evergreen' plastics,
retaining optical and mechanical properties through many reincarnations.
Low-temperature processing of 'baroplastics'
by pressure-induced flow
JUAN A. GONZALEZ-LEON, METIN H. ACAR, SANG-WOOG RYU,
ANNE-VAL�RIE G. RUZETTE & ANNE M. MAYES
Nature 426, 424–428 (2003); doi:10.1038/nature02140
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