Degradable aqueous polymer dispersions

Polymers have become essential in many aspects of modern life, however, there are many environmental problems associated with the polymer waste. Effective polymer recycling or design and use of degradable polymers are ways to tackle the problem of polymer waste. In some applications, polymer waste collection and material recycling is not a solution and instead effective degradable polymer is more desirable. Efforts to develop (bio)degradable polymers have expanded in recent years for which the life cycle has to be tuned by triggering the degradation of the material after their use. Many applications, in which degradable polymers are required due to their difficulty to recycle, are commercialized as polymer aqueous dispersions. This Chapter reviews different chemistries and strategies for the synthesis of degradable aqueous polymer dispersions, highlighting the challenges and areas where improvements are needed.