Photodegradable polymers for greener plastics and coatings

The environment is stuffed with plastics and other types of waste materials composed of polymers. The degradation span of products made of these materials is long, which makes them accumulate in the water and air. In order to solve this problem, the group of organic chemistry led by Prof. Magne Sydnes at the University of Stavanger has developed a series of new photodegradable chemicals that, used as basic piece for building polymers, will make possible for these new polymers to degrade under visible light just by being exposed to the sun. These chemical moieties can be potentially used to make photodegradable other chemicals such as paints and coatings, drugs or products used in plants treatment, cosmetics or hygiene. Validé Technology Transfer Office helps developing this research project in order to bring it out to the society, with the financial support of the Research Council of Norway.