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Dormant bacteria inside the “living plastic” can be activated on command, after which they break down the material.
We use many plastic items for just a few minutes. Yet once we toss them out, they sit stubbornly in landfills or float in global oceans for centuries.
Now, scientists have found a clever way to make them vanish on command, as researchers have designed a new material holding dormant bacteria inside.
According to ACS Applied Polymer Materials, these microbes wait patiently for a signal to wake up. Once active, the bugs chew through the surrounding polymer without leaving any microplastics behind. The inspiration came directly from looking at daily waste.
Zhuojun Dai, a corresponding author on the paper, explains that “the realization that traditional plastics persist for centuries, while many applications, like packaging, are short-lived, led us to ask: Could we build degradation directly into the material’s life cycle?”
How the science works
Some natural organisms make enzymes that slice molecular chains into pieces. Scientists wanted to trap these agents inside ordinary materials without ruining the product.
“By embedding these microbes, plastics could effectively ‘come alive’ and self-destruct on command, turning durability from a problem into a programmable feature,” explains Dai.
To make it happen, the team altered a bacterium called Bacillus subtilis. In the lab, they engineered the tiny microbes to release two distinct enzymes that partner up to dismantle the structure.
Gone in six days
The first enzyme chops long chains at random spots. Then the second enzyme steps in. Operating from the ends, it scrubs the pieces down into basic building blocks.
Researchers mixed dormant spores into polycaprolactone, a material used in 3D printing. The new mix stayed strong during normal conditions.
To trigger the countdown, the team plunged the material into a nutrient broth heated to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. That wake-up call brought the spores to life immediately.
Within six days, the plastic vanished completely. Because the two enzymes worked sequentially, the material dissolved into basic elements instead of breaking into harmful microplastics.
Water activation is next
To prove the concept, scientists built a temporary wearable electrode. According to the study, the device worked perfectly. Exactly two weeks after activation, it dissolved entirely.
Now, the team hopes to trigger the dormant spores using simple water. That breakthrough could eventually help tackle the staggering amounts of waste floating in global oceans and rivers.
While this experiment focused on one specific polymer, researchers believe the same trick could work for everyday disposable items.
