Thermosets are widely used in industry and include materials such as rubbers, gels and adhesives. (Credit: Giorgio Castellanza)
Thermosets are widely used in industry and include materials such as rubbers, gels and adhesives. (Credit: Giorgio Castellanza) - Scientists have discovered how to make thermosets like gels, rubbers and elastomers so they can be degraded and be re-formed without loss of function. Published on Tuesday 19 December 2023 Last updated on Thursday 21 December 2023 - A team of UK scientists has got a step closer to making several different types of plastic much easier to recycle, using a method that could be applied to a whole range of difficult-to-recycle polymers, including rubbers, gels and adhesives. Thermoplastics and thermosets are two types of plastics that both consist of long chains of molecules called polymers but behave differently when heated. Thermoplastics can be heated to high temperatures, poured into a mould then cooled to make the desired shape. They can subsequently be melted and reformed into other shapes when they are recycled, however they can break when stretched or stressed. In contrast, the polymer chains in thermoset plastics are crosslinked to form a network which makes them incredibly strong and flexible.
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