Over 8 billion tons of plastic have been produced to date, and a 100% reclamation recycling strategy is not foreseeable. This review summarizes how the mechanochemistry of polymers may contribute to a sustainable polymer future by controlling the degradation not only of de novo developed designer polymers but also of plastics in existing waste streams. The historical development of polymer mechanochemistry is presented while highlighting current examples of mechanochemically induced polymer degradation. Additionally, theoretical and computational frameworks are discussed that may lead to the discovery and better understanding of new mechanochemical reactions in the future. This review takes into account technical and engineering perspectives converging the fields of trituration and polymer mechanochemistry with a particular focus on the fate of commodity polymers and potential technologies to monitor mechanochemical reactions while they occur. Therefore, a unique perspective of multiple communities is presented, highlighting the need for future transdisciplinary research to tackle the high-leverage parameters governing an eventually successful mechanochemical degradation approach for a circular economy.

迄今为止，已生产了超过 80 亿吨塑料，并且 100% 的回收再循环策略是不可预见的。本综述总结了聚合物的机械化学如何通过控制从头开发的设计聚合物以及现有废物流中塑料的降解来为可持续聚合物的未来做出贡献。介绍了聚合物机械化学的历史发展，同时强调了机械化学诱导的聚合物降解的当前例子。此外，还讨论了理论和计算框架，这可能会导致未来发现和更好地理解新的机械化学反应。本综述考虑了研磨和聚合物机械化学领域的技术和工程观点，特别关注商品聚合物的命运以及监测机械化学反应发生时的潜在技术。因此，提出了多个社区的独特视角，强调了未来跨学科研究的必要性，以解决控制循环经济最终成功的机械化学降解方法的高杠杆参数。