Abstract:
Silicone polymers are often known for what they don’t do; they are stable to: high voltage, UV light, high temperatures, biological conditions, etc. While this makes them extremely valuable materials for many applications, it means opportunities are missed when functionality is needed; it also complicates their degradation. This lecture will focus on strategies to imbue silicones with new properties that can be easily triggered on demand, including degradability, using natural materials and exploiting their existing properties to manage a polymeric waste problem.
Three strategies will be described that can improve the sustainability of silicones: different bonding motifs that facilitate reuse and recycling, incorporation of biopolymers – lignin, starch, proteins, poly lipoic acid – to reduce the carbon footprint of silicone elastomers while enhancing properties.
