Developing vitrimers: next generation reusable plastics

该项目旨在开发一种新型的先进多功能高分子材料，具有支持软材料总体突破能力的潜力。所提出的工作将把生物催化剂从其原生的潮湿环境转移到固体有机工程生物源树脂。适当选择的酶可以制造出完全可回收的聚合物产品，这些产品具有自修复、形状变形、机械可调等内在特性，并且具有多次再加工/回收的能力。这项研究将在生物基聚合物的生物催化剂应用中引发颠覆性的变化。

This project aims to develop a new class of advanced multifunctional polymer materials with the potential to underpin significant breakthrough capabilities for soft materials in general. The proposed work will relocate biological catalysts from their native, wet environment to solid organic engineering bio-sourced resins. Suitably selected enzymes will allow creation of polymer-based products that can be fully recyclable, with built-in properties such as self-healing, shape morphing, which are mechanically tunable, and have the ability to be reprocessed/recycled multiple times. This research will initiate a disruptive change in the application of biocatalysts for bio-based polymers.