Chris DeArmitt

Christopher DeArmitt (PhD, FRSC, FIMMM, CChem) is an American–Swedish polymer chemist and materials scientist. He is the founder of Phantom Plastics and the Plastics Research Council. His research includes polymer additives, nano-fillers, and studies on the environmental impact of plastics. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM), and a Chartered Chemist (CChem).

Early life and education

DeArmitt completed a Bachelor of Science with honours in chemistry and polymer science, followed by an MPhil and PhD in polymer and surface science at the University of Sussex. His doctoral research examined colloidal and soluble conducting polymers, including polyaniline and polypyrrole, investigating polymerisation kinetics, colloids, and surface composition.

Career

DeArmitt has held senior positions at international companies including BASF, Electrolux, Hybrid Plastics, Applied Minerals, and LKAB Minerals. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2005 and later became a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM) and a Chartered Chemist (CChem).

In 2009, DeArmitt founded Phantom Plastics, a materials science consultancy. In 2024, he established the Plastics Research Council, a nonprofit reviewing research on plastics, microplastics, and environmental impacts. He has provided evidence in reviews related to decabromodiphenyl ethane and microplastics.

DeArmitt has presented at conferences, including keynote lectures at NPE/Antec in the United States (2015), the 5º Congresso Brasileiro do Plástico in São Paulo, Brazil (2024), and the Plastics and Circular Economy conference organised by the Society of Plastics Engineers in Australia (2024). He has also spoken at Plastics in Motion (2015), the Compounding World Forum (2014, 2016–2018), and trade-association meetings such as the Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association Annual Meeting, IAPD GenerationNext Virtual Event, the European Plastics Distributors Association Annual Conference, and a seminar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Research

DeArmitt’s research includes polymer additives, fillers, dispersants, coupling agents, surface modifiers, POSS molecules, hyperbranched antioxidants, polymer composites, conducting polymer colloids, and polymerisation kinetics. His publications examine thermomechanical performance, comparative evaluations of fillers, surface modification techniques, and polymer material performance.

He has contributed chapters to reference works including Applied Plastics Engineering Handbook and Brydson’s Plastics Materials, covering particulate fillers, fibre reinforcements, POSS molecules, and functional additives. Other chapters include Magnetite (Encyclopedia of Polymers and Composites, Springer, 2014), Particulate Fillers, Selection, and Use in Polymer Composites (Polymers and Polymeric Composites: A Reference Series, Springer, 2017), and Fillers and Filled Plastics (Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Wiley-VCH, 2019).

He has also conducted comparative evaluations of polypropylene fillers. His work includes evaluations of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) packaging, focusing on durability, recyclability, and life-cycle analysis.

DeArmitt has reviewed over 5,000 peer-reviewed studies on plastics and the environment.

Public engagement

DeArmitt has contributed to plastics and environmental science and provided commentary on life-cycle assessments of plastics. His work on environmental issues has been quoted in the Canadian Parliament by Minister Lianne Rood.

He has reviewed peer-reviewed studies on microplastics in human fluids and environmental exposure and evaluated methodological aspects of related research. Selected articles include the op-ed “Plastics persecution: It may be fun, but is it fair?” (2022) and “Debunking the Debunker: Lifting the Lid on Plastics Science” (2025), which discuss research methodologies in plastics studies. He has also addressed methodological questions in studies investigating whether microplastics cross the blood–brain barrier.

DeArmitt has appeared in CBS 60 Minutes, Sky News, and the BBC. In 2021, he participated in a panel hosted by the Competitive Enterprise Institute on the environmental and health impacts of plastics. Some of his analyses have been subject to criticism by environmental groups, without evidence.

Books

  • Innovation Abyss (2016)
  • The Plastics Paradox (2020)
  • Shattering the Plastics Illusion (2025)

Patents

  • Multimodal polyalkylene terephthalate system, Patent number: 12359022, (July 15, 2025), Chris DeArmitt, Mohammed Razeem.
  • Polyethylene terephthalate alloy having talc, Publication number: 20230227617, (July 20, 2023), Chris DeArmitt, Mohammed Razeem.
  • Multimodal polyalkylene terephthalate, Patent number: 11667753, (June 6, 2023), Chris DeArmitt, Mohammed Razeem.
  • Process for coagulation of aqueous polymer dispersions, Patent number: 8470911, (June 25, 2013), Chris DeArmitt, Graham Edmund McKee, Konrad Mitulla.
  • Continuous process for performing a reaction, Publication number: 20110006259, (January 13, 2011), Chris DeArmitt.
  • Continuous process for performing a chemical reaction in which a gaseous phase is added to a charge system, Publication number: 20090323458, (December 31, 2009), Chris DeArmitt, Wolfgang Fischer, Rainer Bardon.

Selected publications

  • DeArmitt, C. & Rothon, R. “Dispersants and Coupling Agents”, in Applied Plastics Engineering Handbook, Elsevier, 2011, pp. 441–454. doi:10.1016/b978-1-4377-3514-7.10025-x.
  • DeArmitt, C. & Rothon, R. “Dispersants and Coupling Agents”, in Applied Plastics Engineering Handbook, Elsevier, 2017, pp. 501–516. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-39040-8.00022-5.
  • Rothon, R. & DeArmitt, C. “Fillers (Including Fiber Reinforcements)”, in Brydson’s Plastics Materials, Elsevier, 2017, pp. 169–204. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-35824-8.00008-6.
  • DeArmitt, C. (2011). “Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes in Plastics.” In: Hartmann-Thompson, C. (ed.) Applications of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes. Advances in Silicon Science, vol. 3, pp. 209–228. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-3787-9_5.
  • DeArmitt, C.; Rothon, R. (2007). “Tailor-made Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Molecules for Thermosets.” Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 38(6), 1275–1285. doi:10.1016/S1464-391X(06)70607-9.
  • Bergenudd, H.; Eriksson, P.; DeArmitt, C.; Stenberg, B.; Malmström Jonsson, E. (2002). “Synthesis and evaluation of hyperbranched phenolic antioxidants of three different generations.” Polymer Degradation and Stability, 76(3), 503–509. doi:10.1016/S0141-3910(02)00071-X.
  • DeArmitt, C. & Breese, K. (2001). “Filled Polypropylene: A Cost-Performance Comparison of Common Fillers.” Plastics, Additives and Compounding, 3(9), 28–33. doi:10.1016/S1464-391X(01)80252-X.

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