Distinguished University Professor AIDA Takuzo’s Research Group Publishes Article in Science

Distinguished University Professor AIDA Takuzo’s research group's article has been published in the scientific journal Science on November 21.

Mechanically strong yet metabolizable supramolecular plastics by desalting upon phase separation

Abstract

Plastics that can metabolize in oceans are highly sought for a sustainable future. In this work, we report the noncovalent synthesis of unprecedented plastics that are mechanically strong yet metabolizable under biologically relevant conditions owing to their dissociative nature with electrolytes. Salt-bridging sodium hexametaphosphate with di- or tritopic guanidinium sulfate in water forms a cross-linked supramolecular network, which is stable unless electrolytes are resupplied. This unusual stability is caused by a liquid-liquid phase separation that expels sodium sulfate, generated upon salt bridging, into a water-rich phase. Drying the remaining condensed liquid phase yields glassy plastics that are thermally reshapable, such as thermoplastics, and usable even in aqueous media with hydrophobic parylene C coating. This approach can be extended to polysaccharide-based supramolecular plastics that are applicable for three-dimensional printing.

Cheng Y, Hirano E, Wang H, Kuwayama M, Meijer EW, Huang H, Aida T. Mechanically strong yet metabolizable supramolecular plastics by desalting upon phase separation. Science. 2024 Nov 22; 386(6724):875-881. doi: 10.1126/science.ado1782.

Read the press release (Japanese) here and the article here (subscription).