A Rutgers University chemist has developed a new type of plastic that mimics natural polymers to break down on demand, potentially reducing environmental pollution. Inspired by plastic waste during a hike, Yuwei Gu's team engineered materials that degrade under everyday conditions without harsh treatments. The breakthrough, detailed in Nature Chemistry, allows precise control over breakdown times from days to years.
Yuwei Gu, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University, conceived the idea for degradable plastics while hiking in Bear Mountain State Park, New York. There, he encountered scattered plastic bottles along trails and in a nearby lake, prompting reflection on why synthetic plastics persist while natural polymers like DNA, RNA, proteins, and cellulose eventually break down.
"Biology uses polymers everywhere, such as proteins, DNA, RNA and cellulose, yet nature never faces the kind of long-term accumulation problems we see with synthetic plastics," Gu said.
Polymers consist of repeating units connected by chemical bonds, providing strength but also durability that hinders degradation. Gu's team focused on replicating nature's structural features—small chemical elements that weaken bonds at the appropriate time. By arranging these elements precisely in the plastic's molecular structure, they created materials that remain robust during use but disintegrate rapidly when triggered.
This approach enables programmable degradation, adjustable via spatial orientation of molecular groups. "Most importantly, we found that the exact spatial arrangement of these neighboring groups dramatically changes how fast the polymer degrades," Gu explained. "By controlling their orientation and positioning, we can engineer the same plastic to break down over days, months or even years."
Degradation occurs under ambient conditions, or can be initiated with ultraviolet light or metal ions, suiting applications like short-lived food packaging or long-lasting automotive parts. Beyond waste reduction, the technology supports timed drug delivery and self-dissolving coatings.
"This research not only opens the door to more environmentally responsible plastics but also broadens the toolbox for designing smart, responsive polymer-based materials across many fields," Gu noted. Initial tests show the resulting liquid is non-toxic, though further safety assessments are underway.
The study, published in Nature Chemistry in 2025, was led by doctoral student Shaozhen Yin, with contributions from associate professor Lu Wang, doctoral student Rui Zhang, research associate professor N. Sanjeeva Murthy, and former undergraduate Ruihao Zhou. The team now explores integrating this chemistry into manufacturing and evaluating fragment safety in ecosystems.
