Cosolvent‐Enhanced Dissolution of Long‐Chain Polyamides: Toward Room‐Temperature Material Recycling of Sustainable Composites

-eq). However, the high resistance of PAs to many common solvents such as alcohols and hydrocarbons makes them difficult to recycle by dissolution under mild conditions. In this work, a formic acid (FA)-based cosolvent system exhibiting synergistic solvation through hydrogen bonds and dispersive interactions is shown to rapidly dissolve long-chain PAs such as PA11 and PA12 at room temperature, which is not possible in pure FA due to its long alkyl segment. The regenerated PA11 shows no change in chemical structures or properties, and sufficient selectivity toward PA allows for facile separation and recovery of non-PA materials from mixtures and composites, such as polypropylene (layered films) and carbon fiber cloth (woven laminates). This cosolvent strategy has the potential to change the thermoplastic recycling landscape by facilitating low-energy recycling protocols of long-chain PAs commonly found in bio-based varieties.

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Publication Details

Journal
ChemSusChem
Published
2026-06-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.70823
Primary Topic
Polymer composites and self-healing
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Cosolvent‐Enhanced Dissolution of Long‐Chain Polyamides: Toward Room‐Temperature Material Recycling of Sustainable Composites

Kenji Tamura, Jonathon Tanks
ChemSusChem
Polymer composites and self-healing
article

Cosolvent‐Enhanced Dissolution of Long‐Chain Polyamides: Toward Room‐Temperature Material Recycling of Sustainable Composites

Kenji Tamura, Jonathon Tanks
article en

Abstract

-eq). However, the high resistance of PAs to many common solvents such as alcohols and hydrocarbons makes them difficult to recycle by dissolution under mild conditions. In this work, a formic acid (FA)-based cosolvent system exhibiting synergistic solvation through hydrogen bonds and dispersive interactions is shown to rapidly dissolve long-chain PAs such as PA11 and PA12 at room temperature, which is not possible in pure FA due to its long alkyl segment. The regenerated PA11 shows no change in chemical structures or properties, and sufficient selectivity toward PA allows for facile separation and recovery of non-PA materials from mixtures and composites, such as polypropylene (layered films) and carbon fiber cloth (woven laminates). This cosolvent strategy has the potential to change the thermoplastic recycling landscape by facilitating low-energy recycling protocols of long-chain PAs commonly found in bio-based varieties.

ChemSusChemVol. 19(13)
National Institute for Materials Science (JP)
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Polymer composites and self-healing
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