Chemically recyclable thermoplastics from reversible-deactivation polymerization of cyclic acetals

Tough recyclable polyacetals Cyclic acetals such as dioxolane are appealing building blocks for plastics but have proven to be difficult polymerize controllably. Abel et al . show that optimal pairing of a bromomethyl ether and indium or zinc Lewis acid produces polydioxolane with high tensile strength may advantageous packaging applications. Heating this plastic in strong easily breaks it back down its acetal monomer, which can then recovered by distillation from mixed waste streams yield. —JSY