(297b) Sustainable Polymers from Plastic Waste and Biology

Sustainable approaches resolving the plastics problem may require dual attention paid to utilization of biomolecules and waste as feedstocks for circular manufacturing. I will discuss our recent progress to these activities and showcase how they converge in elastomers and composites commonplace in durable goods, such as cell phone cases, watch bands, automotive composites, and other products. I will describe what we know about the molecular and macromolecular basis of their performance and circularity. I will present experimental insights alongside theory and further details from operando NMR, X-ray, and Raman spectroscopies.