Prof. Erin Stache, Princeton University. Hosted by Prof. Ezgi Toraman.
While plastics are integral to modern society due to their low cost and convenience, the recycling efforts significantly lag behind, exacerbating an environmental crisis. In response to this plastic pollution, various recycling methods, including mechanical and chemical processes, have been developed. Chemical recycling, which involves breaking down polymers into smaller molecules or monomers, presents a unique advantage by treating polymer waste as a resource for commodity chemical production. This study explores the use of visible light to facilitate the degradation and/or depolymerization of commercial polystyrene. By adjusting catalysts or reaction conditions, the distribution of products can be tailored to yield multiple useful compounds from a single polymer. This novel approach extends beyond lab-synthesized polymers to include post-consumer waste, offering a sustainable and efficient recycling solution.
Bio
Erin Stache is an assistant professor at Princeton University's Department of Chemistry. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and her PhD from Colorado State University in collaboration with Professors Tom Rovis and Abby Doyle in 2018. Afterward, she spent two years as a Cornell Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in Professor Brett P. Fors's lab at Cornell University before starting her independent career there in 2020. Her research in the Stache Lab combines synthetic organic chemistry, photochemistry, inorganic materials, and polymer chemistry for new synthesis and materials science applications. Her group focuses on developing new polymerization strategies using catalysis to access degradable polymers or materials with unique properties, with a particular emphasis on photocatalysis for sustainable synthesis and depolymerization.