Rutgers University chemist Yuwei Gu, together with his research team, has developed a new class of nature-inspired plastics designed to break down on demand under everyday conditions. Their work offers a new approach to polymer design, where materials can remain durable during use but deconstruct efficiently once triggered. The concept draws from how natural polymers like DNA, RNA, and proteins eventually degrade through built-in chemical features that guide their breakdown. Synthetic plastics lack such mechanisms, which is one reason they persist in the environment for decades.
Yin, S., Zhang, R., Zhou, R., Murthy, N. S., Wang, L., & Gu, Y. (2025). Conformational preorganization of neighbouring groups modulates and expedites polymer self-deconstruction. Nature Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-02007-3
The team’s strategy focuses on arranging small chemically active groups along the polymer backbone in very specific positions. These groups do not weaken the material during its useful lifetime but create a structural bias that makes bonds easier to break once the degradation process begins. Gu describes this as similar to folding a sheet of paper so it tears more easily along a crease. The plastic stays strong, yet once activated, it undergoes self-deconstruction thousands of times faster than conventional polymers.
Rutgers University chemist Yuwei Gu stated,
“Our strategy provides a practical, chemistry-based way to redesign these materials so they can still perform well during use but then break down naturally afterward”.
A major advantage of this method is that the degradation rate can be tuned based on the arrangement of these neighbouring groups. The researchers demonstrated that lifetimes can be programmed across a wide range, from hours or days to months or even years. This creates opportunities for materials whose longevity directly matches their application. Packaging could be set to disappear soon after use, while more robust products such as automotive components could be engineered to remain intact until intentionally triggered for breakdown. The team has also shown that degradation can be initiated with external cues such as ultraviolet light or metal ions, adding further control.
This approach differs from earlier attempts to create degradable plastics, which often relied on inserting weak or reactive bonds that compromised performance. Here the chemical identity of the polymer remains unchanged, and only its spatial structure determines how easily it falls apart. Early tests show promising stability during use and rapid breakdown under targeted conditions, suggesting potential for adoption in both single-use and long-lived products.
The researchers note that further study is needed to evaluate the environmental safety of the resulting breakdown liquids and fragments. They are also examining how this chemistry can be integrated into large-scale production and whether it can be applied to common industrial plastics. In parallel, the team is exploring possible applications beyond consumer waste, including controlled drug-release systems, temporary coatings, and other “smart” polymer technologies that benefit from predictable end-of-life behaviour.
Although there are still engineering challenges ahead, this work provides a promising foundation for plastics that fit more responsibly into their full life cycle. By introducing a structural principle borrowed from nature, Gu and his colleagues have shown how polymer chemistry can be designed not only for performance, but also for controlled disappearance.
Adrian graduated with a Masters Degree (1st Class Honours) in Chemical Engineering from Chester University along with Harris. His master’s research aimed to develop a standardadised clean water oxygenation transfer procedure to test bubble diffusers that are currently used in the wastewater industry commercial market. He has also undergone placments in both US and China primarely focused within the R&D department and is an associate member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).
