2026-04-17T08:23:24Zhttps://riubu.ubu.es/oai/request

oai:riubu.ubu.es:10259/114882026-03-24T01:05:47Zcom_10259_4313com_10259_5086com_10259_2604col_10259_4314

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Sedano Labrador, Carlos author Herrero, Manuel author Trigo López, Miriam author Rodríguez Pérez, Miguel Ángel . author Merino, Juan Carlos author García Pérez, José Miguel author Vallejos Calzada, Saúl author Núñez-Carrero, Karina C. author 2026-01 Multilayer plastic packaging offers essential barrier and mechanical properties for food preservation, but its complex structure prevents effective recycling. Here, we report a light-responsive thermoplastic adhesive designed to enable on-demand separation of polymer layers in multilayer packaging. The adhesive adopts a triblock architecture with terminal blocks compatible with polyethylene (PE) and polyamide (PA), and a central segment functionalised with coumarin-based photoremovable groups. Upon ultraviolet (UV) exposure, the adhesive undergoes complete molecular breakdown, triggering clean delamination without solvents or mechanical force. Fabricated PE – photosensitive adhesive – PA films demonstrated superior adhesion performance compared to a commercial benchmark during service life, and efficient separation upon irradiation, as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, microscopy, and T-peel testing. Life cycle assessment revealed that, while the laboratory-scale synthesis has higher environmental costs, the impact is offset after a single reuse cycle in projected industrial conditions, reaching up to 80% reduction after six cycles. This approach provides a scalable strategy to reconcile performance and recyclability in multilayer packaging. 2662-4443 https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11488 10.1038/s43246-025-01040-6 2662-4443 Coumarin-inspired light-responsive thermoplastic adhesives for recyclable multilayer packaging