Thermal Solution Depolymerization of RAFT Telechelic Polymers

Thermal solution depolymerization is a promising low-temperature chemical recycling strategy enabling high monomer recovery from polymers made by controlled radical polymerization. However, current methodologies predominantly focus on the depolymerization of monofunctional polymers, limiting the mat...

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Veröffentlicht in:ACS macro letters Jg. 13; H. 7; S. 806
Hauptverfasser: De Alwis Watuthanthrige, Nethmi, Whitfield, Richard, Harrisson, Simon, Truong, Nghia P, Anastasaki, Athina
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: United States 16.07.2024
ISSN:2161-1653, 2161-1653
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Zusammenfassung:Thermal solution depolymerization is a promising low-temperature chemical recycling strategy enabling high monomer recovery from polymers made by controlled radical polymerization. However, current methodologies predominantly focus on the depolymerization of monofunctional polymers, limiting the material scope and depolymerization pathways. Herein, we report the depolymerization of telechelic polymers synthesized by RAFT polymerization. Notably, we observed a significant decrease in the molecular weight ( ) of the polymers during monomer recovery, which contrasts the minimal shift observed during the depolymerization of monofunctional polymers. Introducing Z groups at the center or both ends of the polymer resulted in distinct kinetic profiles, indicating partial depolymerization of the bifunctional polymers, as supported by mathematical modeling. Remarkably, telechelic polymers featuring R-terminal groups showed up to 68% improvement in overall depolymerization conversion compared to their monofunctional analogues, highlighting the potential of these materials in chemical recycling and the circular economy.
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:2161-1653
2161-1653
DOI:10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00286