Overview
- Researchers in Hong Kong and Shenzhen report in ACS Applied Polymer Materials a polycaprolactone film packed with dormant Bacillus subtilis spores that breaks down when exposed to warm nutrient at about 50°C.
- Two engineered strains release complementary enzymes that first cut long polymer chains and then digest the fragments, driving near-complete breakdown in six days with no microplastics detected.
- The spores stay inactive until triggered, so the material keeps mechanical performance similar to standard polycaprolactone during normal use.
- A wearable electrode made from the material fully dissolved under the trigger in roughly two weeks, hinting at on-demand disposal for small devices.
- The team calls this a lab proof of concept limited to polycaprolactone and now aims for a water-based trigger and expansion to common single-use plastics, with safety and scaling still to address.