Polyamides (PAs, nylons) are a ubiquitous class of high‐performance plastics used extensively in a wide range of applications. Their high resistance to many common solvents and tendency to hydrolyze in strong acids or bases creates a major hurdle to low‐emissions material recycling (i.e., resource separation and recovery). In the present study, the first detailed investigation into the molecular mechanisms of polyamide dissolution, we show that introducing a weakly hydrogen‐bonding cosolvent into formic acid can effectively tune the solvent–solvent and solvent–polymer interactions, drastically accelerates the room‐temperature dissolution kinetics of common (short‐chain) polyamides such as PA6 and PA66, as well as long‐chain and semi‐aromatic varieties. The recovered polymers show no change in their chemical structures or properties, and sufficient selectivity allows for fillers such as short and long fibers, inorganic nanoparticles, metals, and other mixed polymer phases to be recovered at high efficiency (>95%) along with recirculation of all solvents (>98%). This cosolvent‐enabled approach has the potential to make polyamide recycling more sustainable and economical by reducing the energy input and CO ₂ emissions required to separate and recover the various constituent materials from automotive and electrical components, textiles, and beyond.

Developing a mass production method for graphene is essential for practical usage of this remarkable material. Direct exfoliation of graphite in a liquid is a promising approach for production of high quality graphene. However, this technique has three huge obstacles to be solved; limitation of solvent, low yield and low quality (i.e., multilayer graphene with a small size). Here, we found that soluble graphite produced by mechanochemical reaction with salts overcomes the above three drawbacks. Soluble graphite was exfoliated into monolayer graphene with more than 10% yield in five minutes of sonication. The modified graphite was easily exfoliated in a low-boiling point solvent such as acetone, alcohol and water without the aid of a surfactant. Molecular simulation revealed that the salt is adsorbed to the active carbon at the graphite edge. In the case of weak acid salts, the original bonding nature between the alkali ion and the base molecule is retained after the reaction. Thus, alkali metals are easily dissociated in a polar solvent, leading to negative charge of graphene, enabling the exfoliation of graphite in low boiling point solvents. The approach proposed here opens up a new door to practical usage of the attractive 2D material.