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POLYMER CHEMISTRY

From disposable diapers to adhesives

Nature Chemistry volume 13, pages 930–932 (2021)Cite this article

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Finding alternative fates for plastics that would otherwise end up in landfills requires innovative chemistry. Now, poly(acrylic acid) from diaper waste has been converted into valuable pressure-sensitive adhesives through an open-loop recycling method that is cost-effective and environmentally competitive.

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Fig. 1: An open-loop approach to repurposing super-absorbent polymers as pressure-sensitive adhesives.

image of nappy courtesy of Ben Molyneux/Alamy Stock Photo

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  1. Twitter: @Frank_Leibfarth

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Meredith A. Borden & Frank A. Leibfarth

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  1. Meredith A. Borden
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  2. Frank A. Leibfarth
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Correspondence to Frank A. Leibfarth.

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Borden, M.A., Leibfarth, F.A. From disposable diapers to adhesives. Nat. Chem. 13, 930–932 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-021-00793-0

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