Shunsuke Fujimata, Yoshiki Tokonami, Raj Kishan Agrahari, Toyokazu Tsutsuba, Kazuaki Rikiyama, Norio Tomotsu, Tatsuo Taniguchi, Takehiro Kamiya, Mizuhiko Nishida, Daisuke Aoki
Plastics have long been designed as durable materials with limited consideration of their fate after use. In contrast, a polymer system that enables end-of-life plastics to no longer to be discarded but instead to be transformed into fertilizers that actively benefit ecosystems, would be very desirable indeed. Such a concept may offer a new direction for polymer design and expand the potential roles of plastic materials. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that isosorbide-based polycarbonates (PIC) can be converted into fertilizer-compatible components through ammonolysis after use. Building on this concept, the present study introduces dual-functional isosorbide-based plasticizers that simultaneously reduce the brittleness of PIC while also being convertible into fertilizer-compatible components through ammonolysis after use. The effectiveness of the degradation products obtained from this plastic system, composed of PIC and isosorbide-based plasticizers, as fertilizers was validated through the growth of both a model plant and an edible vegetable.