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Reducing the environmental impact caused by plastics can be addressed through different strategies, such as the manufacture of more durable plastics or recycling. In general, there are two main types of plastics. The first is thermoplastics, which can be melted and molded to form other objects, although their mechanical properties weaken if they are melted several times. And the second, thermosets, do not melt at high temperatures, since the chains of the polymers that form them are intertwined by chemical bonds.

Thermoset plastics have advantageous properties compared to thermoplastics. They tend to have a higher resistance to impact and mechanical stress, although they are also more brittle. Epoxy resin, silicone or melamine are examples of thermoset plastics, commonly used in construction.

To make these plastics stronger, engineers add reinforcement materials such as carbon fibers. They are already used to manufacture objects such as motorcycle helmets or sports equipment, which are very durable although they cannot be easily recycled.

At IMDEA Nanociencia, the Chemistry of Low-Dimensional Materials group, led by Emilio Pérez, is investigating a strategy to strengthen recyclable plastics in a collaboration with the company Nanocore. The plastic studied is a "covalent adaptable network," whose molecular structure is similar to that of a thermoset plastic but with the particularity that it incorporates covalent– strong—bonds but at the same time reversible between polymer chains.

The work is published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

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