HSM background

The essence of this approach is the use of mechanical stresses to selectively break cross-linking bonds, thereby returning a previously cured visco-elastic material to a soluble state for recycling into existing or new formulations, or for downcycling into new applications.

This means a simple process:

The technology stems from work carried out by Dr. William Watson and colleagues on the effects of mechanochemistry in the 1950's.

Further development in the 1980s and 1990s has led to a simple process for the solubilisation of previously cross-linked visco-elastic materials.

Experimentation and development over the last ten years has shown that this process can be applied to a wide range of polymers at industrial scales.

Currently a programme of work is in place to extend this approach further and to develop more applications for downcycled materials.