KES9-1584
Slide-Ring Vitrimer and Biodegradable Nylon 6/66
Topic
S9. Polymer Technology for Sustainability
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
10:20 - 10:45
Room 201
Session Chairs
Jeung Gon KIM
Presenter(s)
KOHZO ITO (The University of Tokyo)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
We have found that the Slide-Ring Materials1,2) by cross-linking polyrotaxane (PR) and epoxy resin vitrimers drastically improved the mechanical properties, self-healing, chemical decomposition, and marine biodegradability of vitrimers.3) The optimal vitrimer with PR exhibited enhanced toughness, with an elongation at break 5.3 times greater than that of a vitrimer devoid of PR; it also showed self-healing properties, was chemically recycled 10 times faster, and was recovered twice as fast. These results are ascribable to the sliding diffusion motion of the PR, which lowers the energy required for transesterification. These findings may lead to the development of environment-friendly plastics that exhibit most of the properties required for a sustainability.
Microplastics in the marine environment have emerged as a pressing global issue. Fishing lines pose a particularly formidable challenge, as their resistance to biodegradation in seawater has led to significant harm to marine turtles, seabirds, and fish. Furthermore, polymers that have been engineered for marine biodegradability, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates, show inadequate mechanical strength for widespread application in fishing lines. In this study, we report the unexpected discovery that certain commercially available nylon materials, nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 copolymers, previously believed to be nonbiodegradable, can in fact undergo biodegradation in marine conditions.4) This discovery represents a breakthrough in the development of marine-biodegradable polymers that successfully balance durability, strength, toughness, cost, and mass-productivity with environmental degradability.1. Okumura, Y.; Ito, K. Adv. Mater. 2001, 13, 485-487.
Microplastics in the marine environment have emerged as a pressing global issue. Fishing lines pose a particularly formidable challenge, as their resistance to biodegradation in seawater has led to significant harm to marine turtles, seabirds, and fish. Furthermore, polymers that have been engineered for marine biodegradability, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates, show inadequate mechanical strength for widespread application in fishing lines. In this study, we report the unexpected discovery that certain commercially available nylon materials, nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 copolymers, previously believed to be nonbiodegradable, can in fact undergo biodegradation in marine conditions.4) This discovery represents a breakthrough in the development of marine-biodegradable polymers that successfully balance durability, strength, toughness, cost, and mass-productivity with environmental degradability.
