Degradable Structural Materials

     

With the advent of biodegradable synthetic materials, lies the potential to reduce waste and lower the costs associated with retrieval and disposal of items that are no longer needed. We extend this strategy to include high strength materials targeted for temporary use. Degradable composites are structural materials that are designed to function for a required period, and then reliably degrade when no longer needed. Polymer matrix composites are ideal candidates for degradable composites as they provide significant design flexibility for tailoring degradation response.

Schematic of degradable composites. Reference: Celestine et al., SEM Proceedings 2017.