Transforming Waste Polyvinyl chloride into Strong Adhesives at Near- ambient -Temperature

Addressing the escalating global challenge of plastic waste management demands innovative solutions. While conventional recycling predominantly depolymerizes plastics into small-molecule intermediates, direct, single-step conversion of waste plastics into functional end-products remains scarce. Herein, we report a novel method for direct transformation of waste polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into high-performance adhesives via NiCl₂-catalyzed amination. This process substitutes C-Cl bonds with ammonia, assisted by tributyl(cyanomethyl)phosphonium chloride (CTPC) under near-ambient conditions. Adhesive performance directly correlates with PVC amination degree, semi-quantitatively analyzed by ¹H NMR of modified PVC. Crucially, the resulting adhesive achieves >2000 kPa bonding strength—comparable to commercial cyanoacrylate adhesive (Model 502) under identical conditions—while exhibiting excellent environmental adaptability and flame retardancy. This approach offers significant advantages including single-step simplicity and mild processing requirements. Most importantly, it bypasses traditional small-molecule pathways, establishing a streamlined route for upcycling waste feedstock into practical adhesives.