Polyvinylidene Chloride Upcycling

Plastics make up an integral part of everyday life from medical devices, drainage pipes, wire insulation, even down to a person’s clothing. Therefore, with such an abundance of plastic, a solution to reuse or upcycle plastic is needed to keep a healthy environment for the future. Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), is a plastic that is used as a barrier for many foods and beverages. However, there are very few ways to upcycle PVDC and prevent it from going into the landfills, especially on the larger scale. We propose using nucleophilic substitution to change the properties of PVDC with the ultimate goal of upcycling the PVDC into something that can be used again for a different function. This could ultimately fulfill the goal of limiting the plastics entering landfills.