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Study published in 2026 in ACS Applied Polymer Materials describes living plastics produced with bacterial spores and two cooperative enzymes, capable of completely degrading polycaprolactone in six days, without microplastic formation, in an approach aimed at short-lived materials
Living plastics programmed by engineered microbes have opened a new front against single-use waste by showing complete degradation in six days, without microplastic formation, in a study published in 2026 in ACS Applied Polymer Materials.
Living plastics created by scientists can be triggered to decompose under specific conditions, using two cooperating bacterial strains and enzymes that break down the polymer in stages, an experimental strategy targeting packaging, simple devices, and other short-lived materials.
Living plastics programmed by microbes managed to completely degrade in six days, without forming microplastics, in a study published on April 9, 2026, in ACS Applied Polymer Materials, paving the way for short-lived materials with planned decomposition.
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Living plastics change the disposal cycle
The research starts from a known problem: many plastic items are used for a short time but remain in the environment for years. The team sought to embed degradation into the material’s own life cycle.
Zhuojun Dai, corresponding author of the paper, stated that the persistence of traditional plastics for centuries motivated the central question of the study: would it be possible to program the material to decompose when needed?
Two enzymes accelerate decomposition
To test the idea, Dai, Jin Geng, Dianpeng Qi, and colleagues engineered Bacillus subtilis to produce two polymer-degrading enzymes. They act in sequence, splitting long chains and then breaking smaller fragments into monomers.
The researchers combined dormant B. subtilis spores with polycaprolactone, a polymer used in 3D printing and some surgical sutures. The living plastic maintained mechanical properties close to those of common films of this material.
When it received nutrient broth heated to 50 degrees Celsius, the system was activated. The spores awakened and completely degraded the plastic into its basic blocks in six days, without generating microplastic particles.
Wearable device also disintegrated
The team also produced a wearable electrode made with the living plastic. The device functioned as expected and then completely degraded in two weeks, in an initial demonstration of practical application.
The next step is to develop a way to activate the spores in water, an environment where much of the plastic pollution accumulates. Although the study used a specific polymer, the strategy can be adapted to other plastics.
The work received funding from programs and foundations in China, including the National Key Research and Development Program, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and initiatives from Shenzhen and Guangdong.
Study available at pubs.acs.org.
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