Sustainable Polymer Upcycling
Turning waste plastic into high-performance adhesive materials.
Don't Recycle It. Upcycle It.
Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is notoriously difficult to recycle. Mechanical grinding degrades it. Chemical burning destroys it. We asked: Can we use organometallic catalysis to turn waste pipes into something more valuable?
Precision Editing of Polymers
In the Hartwig Lab (UC Berkeley), we developed a Copper-catalyzed method to surgically replace inert C–Cl bonds with boronic esters.
Unlike traditional methods that break the polymer chain, our catalyst modifies the surface while keeping the material's integrity intact. We turned inert plastic into a reactive canvas.
Stronger than Superglue
The result wasn't just a new plastic. It was a powerful adhesive.
The new boron groups act like molecular anchors, bonding covalently to glass and metal. To prove it, we took shavings from a used PVC pipe, modified them, and used them to glue two aluminum bars.
The Result: A joint so strong it lifted a 20-kg (44 lb) kettlebell. Our waste-derived glue outperformed commercial competitors.