IBM Researchers Discover New Kinds of Strong, Recyclable Polymers

Researchers at IBM announced that they have found two new kinds of industrial polymers. The new polymers are strong, lightweight and crack-resistant, and can be used in several industries - from aerospace to microelectronics.

The new research could enable development of plastics that are easily recyclable; hence there would be less plastic waste in the landfills.

Polymers are long chains of molecules held together by chemical bonds. Today, polymers are used by several industries, from transport to food packaging.

Molecules in plastics, called thermosets, are highly cross-linked, which is why, they are strong and resistant to several chemicals. Their strength and durability makes them ideal candidates for use in several industries such as aerospace and electronics. However, these plastics are tough to recycle, ChemistryWorld reported.

For several years, scientists had assumed that all major types of plastics have been discovered. However, the new study at IBM has added a new member to the polymer family - a recyclable, strong material.

Jeannette M. Garcia, a research chemist at an IBM laboratory, found the new polymer by error. She was working with three chemicals, but during an experiment she missed adding one of them into the beaker. When she returned to check a while later, she found that a tough material had formed in the beaker, The New York Times reported.

This serendipity led the team to discover other materials in the category. Both the newly discovered polymers are light and strong, and can be recycled. Researchers haven't yet named them, but have code names for them - Titan and Hydro, according to NYT.

"Although there has been significant work in high-performance materials, today's engineered polymers still lack several fundamental attributes. New materials innovation is critical to addressing major global challenges, developing new products and emerging disruptive technologies," said James Hedrick, Advanced Organic Materials Scientist, IBM Research, according to a news release.

The new material is stable when exposed to basic water (high pH), but decomposes in the presence of acidic water (low pH). The right concentration of cheap sulfuric acid would be able to revert the ultra-strong material back to its gooey stage.

"This is the first example of a recyclable thermoset, to our knowledge," said Jeannette M. Garcia, research staff member at IBM Research and lead author on the paper, Popular Mechanics reported. "Sulfuric acid is essentially free, and reworking thermosets is more desirable than throwing them away. If IBM had this 15 years ago, it would have saved unbelievable amounts of money."

Scientists used what is known as 'computational chemistry' to accelerate the material research.

The study is published in the journal Science.