POS9-0507
Upcycling Low-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene into High-Performance Hot-Melt Adhesives via Dynamic Boronic Ester Networks
Topic
S9. Polymer Technology for Sustainability
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Heesuk KIM
Jinhye BAE
Presenter(s)
Naon Choi (Pusan national university)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
With global plastic waste surging and carbon-neutrality regulations tightening, developing plastic upcycling technologies is increasingly important. Polyethylene (PE), one of the most widely used plastics, is often pyrolyzed into oil for energy recovery. However, this process inevitably generates large amounts of low-molecular-weight PE byproducts. Owing to their poor mechanical properties, these byproducts cannot be recycled into plastic products alone and are typically used as low-value additives or incinerated. Meanwhile, hot-melt adhesives continue to gain interest because of their solvent-free, VOC-free, and fast-setting characteristics. Although PE has potential as a hot-melt adhesive due to its low Tg and excellent flowability, its high crystallinity and chemical inertness limit adhesion performance.
Here, we propose a modified low-molecular-weight PE-based hot-melt adhesive. The PE was oxidized to introduce hydroxyl groups and subsequently reacted with boric acid to form dynamic boronic ester bonds, creating a covalent adaptable network (CAN). The low cost of boric acid improves the economic feasibility of the upcycling process, while its rapid thermally induced bond exchange makes it suitable for hot-melt adhesive applications. The resulting CAN suppresses PE crystallization, reducing crystallinity and improving wettability. In addition, the network interacts with metal oxide surfaces through reversible dynamic bonding, enabling strong interfacial adhesion while maintaining sufficient cohesive strength within the crosslinked matrix. As a result, the adhesives exhibit superior adhesion strength compared with commercial counterparts and demonstrate versatile applicability using conventional glue-gun systems.
Here, we propose a modified low-molecular-weight PE-based hot-melt adhesive. The PE was oxidized to introduce hydroxyl groups and subsequently reacted with boric acid to form dynamic boronic ester bonds, creating a covalent adaptable network (CAN). The low cost of boric acid improves the economic feasibility of the upcycling process, while its rapid thermally induced bond exchange makes it suitable for hot-melt adhesive applications. The resulting CAN suppresses PE crystallization, reducing crystallinity and improving wettability. In addition, the network interacts with metal oxide surfaces through reversible dynamic bonding, enabling strong interfacial adhesion while maintaining sufficient cohesive strength within the crosslinked matrix. As a result, the adhesives exhibit superior adhesion strength compared with commercial counterparts and demonstrate versatile applicability using conventional glue-gun systems.
