Abstract
A catalytic system consisting of porous silica and platinum nanoparticles can convert high-density polyethylene to compounds used for making diesel fuel and lubricants ( Nat. Catal. 2020, DOI: 10.1038/s41929-020-00519-4 ). The synthetic system mimics natural enzymes that digest proteins by repeatedly snipping the molecular chains. It could provide a way to turn plastic waste into products that are more valuable than those made via melt-processing and other methods for recycling plastics . To make the catalyst, researchers led by Wenyu Huang, Aaron D. Sadow, and Frédéric A. Perras of Ames Laboratory deposited roughly 3 nm diameter platinum nanoparticles on larger amine-functionalized silica spheres. Then they grew a shell of silica riddled with nanometer-sized pores around the silica spheres. NMR spectroscopy and other types of analyses show that the structure of the catalyst, the length and width of its pores, and polymer-surface interactions drive polyethylene chains to snake their way into
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