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Design of a Chitinase-Responsive, Depolymerizable Petroleum-Derived Polymer for Circular and Antifouling Materials
Summary
Scientists have created a new type of plastic that works just as well as regular plastic (like the kind in water bottles) but can be fully broken down by bacteria into harmless, soluble molecules within a week — instead of lingering for decades as microplastic fragments. This matters because microplastics have been found throughout our bodies and environment, and this plastic is specifically engineered to disappear completely rather than just crumble into smaller, still-persistent pieces.
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Petroleum-derived polymers (PDPs), including polyolefins and polyesters, combine mechanical robustness and thermal stability but persist in the environment due to chemically inert C–C backbones. Here, we report PHEVD (poly[7-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2,4-divinyl-3-oxa-7-azabicyclo[3.3.0]octane-6,8-dione]), a polymer designed to preserve PDP-relevant thermal stability and hydrophobic film performance while incorporating enzyme-addressable imide and amide motifs. Compared with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE), PHEVD exhibits comparable thermal robustness yet undergoes rapid and near-complete depolymerization within 7 days under mild aqueous conditions in the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1), with measurable degradation also observed for Chlorella vulgaris . Integrated transcriptomic, mutant, and purified-enzyme analyses implicate Chitinase-associated pathways in degradation. 1 H NMR and LC-MS confirm the disappearance of parent polymer signals and the formation of low-molecular-weight, soluble products, indicating chemical depolymerization rather than persistent microplastic fragmentation. Identified degradation products correlate with biofilm-dispersion signatures, linking controlled breakdown to functional biological outcomes. By retaining PDP-like performance during use while enabling selective, biologically triggered end-of-life conversion into soluble small molecules, PHEVD demonstrates a structure-guided strategy to reduce environmental persistence relative to conventional PDPs and advance sustainable polymer design.