Toward sustainable textiles: Bio-based thermoplastic fibers with chemically recyclable acetal structures

This project aims to develop bio-based thermoplastic poly(acetal-urethane) fibers with sufficient mechanical properties, proper chemical recyclability and low environmental impact toward sustainable textiles.

A full-time postdoc at Lund University will be working on the molecular design, synthesis and materials characterization of new bio-sourced monomers and polymers. Melt-spinning and evaluation on the fiber properties and LCA will be carried out at RISE IVF.

Chemical recycling of the obtained fibers will be investigated jointly by the applicant and co-applicant.Today, there have been enormous efforts in academia and industry searching for biobased recyclable polymers, particularly those ones to replace the current fossil-based non-recyclable materials.

This project aims to tackle the challenges associated with elastane fibers in textiles, which are fossil-based, crosslinked and non-recyclable. Only a few percent of elastane fibers in textiles can completely prevent recycling.

We propose to incorporate bio-based acetal units in polymers and fibers so they can be converted back to monomers upon facile acid treatment to facilitate chemical recycling.

This project is expected to provide a first insight into the molecular design and structure-property relationship of bio-based thermoplastic polyacetal fibers, which will have significant scientific and societal impacts, especially on circular economy and environmental protection.