Journal ArticleA Polymer Degradation and Remanufacturing Experiment in the High School ClassroomLim, Y. Justin; Wong, Brandon; Macfee, Katie; Cueva, Alexa; Martinez, E. Aaron; Paxton, Cameron; Barnes, Robin; Kleinsasser, Eric; Williams, Travis J.Most students enter college without any exposure to polymer science, which leads to the poor understanding and slow implementation of plastics recycling programs in the United States. To address the knowledge gap in chemical recycling, we introduce a 2-part laboratory experiment that was conducted in multiple high schools and public outreach events to demonstrate the depolymerization of PET via aminolysis and the remanufacturing of cleaved PET fragments into a new aramid polymer. Student experiences were evaluated with two post-lab assignments.American Chemical Society2023-12-1110482228Journal of Chemical Education0021-9584https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c006922227649High School/Introductory Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Hands-on Learning/Manipulatives, and PolymerizationNational Science Foundation