journal article·2025-07Open access

Breaking the Recycling Bottleneck of Thermosets via Bio‐Tailoring Technology

Jinping Yu, Huan Wang, Yang Xu, Boutrous Wemegah, Yang Lan, Jing Li, Li Yang, Guanjun Chang

Advanced Science· Volume 12· Issue 27

Abstract

Abstract Thermosets present significant recycling challenges due to irreversible chemical crosslinking, resulting in resource waste and environmental pollution. This paper introduces a new strategy for designing thermosets with excellent recycling properties driven by Bio‐Tailoring technology, achieving amazing green sustainable development. These thermosets are a class of infusible and insoluble polymers owing to chemical crosslinking. The indole groups in the cross‐linked network can be accurately identified and tailored by microorganisms, giving rise to the cross‐linked network being tailored into new linear polymers and small molecule segments, named the Bio‐Tailoring technology. Linear polymers can be used as a new plastic packaging material that involves high transparency and appreciable mechanical properties. Meanwhile, the cross‐linked small molecule moiety is a fluorescent functional unit with a unique push‐pull electronic structure that leads to color‐changing under external stimulation and can be applied to anti‐counterfeiting. Overall, this strategy provides an innovative solution for the sustainable recycling of thermosets and opens a new path for the environmental transformation of the plastics industry.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Microplastics and Plastic Pollution · Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies · biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

State Key Laboratory of Environment‐Friendly Energy Materials and School of Materials and Chemistry Southwest University of Science and Technology Mianyang 621010 P. R. China

Centre for Nature‐Inspired Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering University College London London WC1E 7JE UK

Research Center of Laser Fusion China Academy of Engineering Physics Mianyang 621900 P. R. China

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia PA 19104 USA

Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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