Polyurethane foams given a new lease of life as high-performance 3D printing inks

Polyurethane foams that are notoriously difficult to recycle have been converted to high value 3D printing resins. This economical upcycling paves the way for repurposing of other hard to recycle thermoset polymers.

Chemical recycling of thermoset polymers – cross-linked polymers that are irreversibly cured – is currently economically unattractive and the majority of these plastics end up in landfill. This has propelled research into the emerging area of chemical upcycling.