Macromolecules,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
58(5), P. 2210 - 2223
Published: Feb. 18, 2025
Polymeric
materials
have
become
indispensable
due
to
their
versatility
and
low
cost,
yet
environmental
impact
presents
a
significant
global
challenge.
Traditional
chemical
recycling
methods
typically
rely
on
heat
as
stimulus;
for
instance,
pyrolysis
is
popular
methodology
which
faces
limitations
high
energy
consumption,
product
selectivity,
the
generation
of
undesirable
byproducts.
In
response,
recent
advances
in
promotion
depolymerization
degradation
through
alternative
stimuli
such
light,
electrochemistry,
mechanical
force,
shown
promising
potential
more
efficient
selective
polymer
breakdown,
yielding
either
starting
monomers
or
valuable
small
molecules.
This
perspective
explores
key
examples
these
emerging
strategies,
highlighting
improve
upon
current
protocols
offer
pathways
under
milder
conditions,
while
identifying
challenges
that
future
research
must
address
translate
chemistry
into
viable
broadly
applicable
strategies.
Nature Communications,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
15(1)
Published: March 20, 2024
Abstract
Only
a
small
proportion
of
global
plastic
waste
is
recycled,
which
most
mechanically
recycled
into
lower
quality
materials.
The
alternative,
chemical
recycling,
enables
renewed
production
pristine
materials,
but
generally
comes
at
high
energy
cost,
particularly
for
processes
like
pyrolysis.
This
review
focuses
on
light-driven
approaches
chemically
recycling
and
upcycling
waste,
with
emphasis
reduced
consumption
selective
transformations
not
achievable
heat-driven
methods.
We
focus
challenging
to
recycle
backbone
structures
composed
mainly
C‒C
bonds,
lack
functional
groups
i.e.,
esters
or
amides,
that
facilitate
e.g.,
by
solvolysis.
discuss
the
use
light,
either
in
conjunction
heat
drive
depolymerization
monomers
via
photocatalysis
transform
polymers
valuable
molecules.
structural
prerequisites
these
are
outlined,
highlighting
their
advantages
as
well
limitations.
conclude
an
outlook,
addressing
key
challenges,
opportunities,
provide
guidelines
future
photocatalyst
(PC)
development.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
63(19)
Published: March 11, 2024
Abstract
Photocatalytic
upcycling
and
depolymerization
of
vinyl
polymers
have
emerged
as
promising
strategies
to
combat
plastic
pollution
promote
a
circular
economy.
This
mini
review
critically
summarizes
current
developments
in
the
degradation
including
polystyrene
poly(meth)acrylates.
Of
these
material
classes,
polymethacrylates
possess
unique
possibility
undergo
photocatalytic
back
monomer
under
thermodynamically
favourable
conditions,
thus
presenting
significant
advantages
over
traditional
thermal
strategies.
Our
perspective
on
formidable
challenges
potential
future
directions
are
also
discussed.
European Polymer Journal,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
211, P. 113001 - 113001
Published: March 30, 2024
Atom
transfer
radical
polymerization
(ATRP)
is
one
of
the
most
often
used
controlled
techniques.
It
employs
very
small
amounts
(ppm)
Cu
complexes
in
presence
various
chemical
reducing
agents
but
also
external
stimuli
such
as
light,
electrical
current
or
mechanical
forces.
can
be
carried
out
bulk,
solution,
and
dispersed
media.
ATRP
has
been
successfully
to
prepare
polymers
with
architecture
well-defined
topology,
composition,
functionality,
well
bioconjugates
organic–inorganic
hybrids.
This
article
summarizes
status
an
outlook
for
ATRP.
Science,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
387(6736), P. 874 - 880
Published: Feb. 20, 2025
The
reversion
of
vinyl
polymers
with
carbon-carbon
backbones
to
their
monomers
represents
an
ideal
path
alleviate
the
growing
plastic
waste
stream.
However,
depolymerizing
such
stable
materials
remains
a
challenge,
state-of-the-art
methods
relying
on
"designer"
that
are
neither
commercially
produced
nor
suitable
for
real-world
applications.
In
this
work,
we
report
main
chain-initiated,
visible
light-triggered
depolymerization
directly
applicable
commercial
containing
undisclosed
impurities
(e.g.,
comonomers,
additives,
or
dyes).
By
in
situ
generation
chlorine
radicals
from
solvent,
near-quantitative
(>98%)
polymethacrylates
could
be
achieved
regardless
synthetic
route
radical
ionic
polymerization),
end
group,
and
molecular
weight
(up
1.6
million
daltons).
possibility
perform
multigram-scale
depolymerizations
confer
temporal
control
renders
methodology
versatile
general
recycling.
Chemical Science,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
15(3), P. 832 - 853
Published: Dec. 5, 2023
Insight
into
the
thermodynamics
and
kinetics
of
depolymerization
to
understand
barriers
that
prevent
effective
monomer
regeneration
from
vinyl
polymers,
an
exploration
overcoming
these
limitations.
Chem,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
10(1), P. 388 - 401
Published: Oct. 26, 2023
Depolymerization
of
polymers
synthesized
by
reversible
deactivation
radical
polymerization
(RDRP)
has
recently
emerged
as
a
promising
chemical
recycling
method
for
circular
economy.
However,
current
depolymerization
reactions
are
typically
uncontrolled
(i.e.,
molecular
weight
remains
unchanged),
thus
providing
no
handle
over
the
and
limiting
further
applications.
Herein,
we
report
controlled
addition-fragmentation
chain-transfer
(RAFT)
that
enables
gradual
decrease
in
weight,
resembling
reverse
process
polymerization.
The
key
to
our
strategy
is
enhance
chain
depropagation
employing
RAFT
agents
with
high
activity,
resulting
unzipping
polymer
chains
linear
time.
As
an
exemplary
application,
demonstrate
structural
characterization
various
copolymers
AB
diblock
versus
BA
statistical
gradient)
facilitating
sequential
release
monomers
from
end,
pushing
boundaries
unlocking
new
Macromolecules,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
57(7), P. 3131 - 3137
Published: March 25, 2024
In
this
report,
we
demonstrate
that
polymethacrylates
can
undergo
appreciable
depolymerization,
with
mild
conditions
and
without
reactive
end
groups,
using
ball-mill
grinding
(BMG).
For
instance,
the
important
commercial
polymer,
poly(methyl
methacrylate)
(PMMA)
underwent
up
to
41%
depolymerization
monomer
within
8
min
of
grinding.
We
explored
factors
influence
conversion
found
temperature
(heating
only
43
°C),
addition
a
small
amount
liquid
(μL
tert-butyl
alcohol),
ball
number/size
be
most
parameters.
also
applied
method
other
pendent
substituent
extent
depolymerization.
Addition
was
reverse
effects
were
observed
bulk
among
studied,
PMMA
had
lowest
in
one
highest
conversions
slurry.
Notably,
molecular
weight
residual
polymer
is
remarkably
low,
ca.
1
kDa,
demonstrating
excellent
degradation
performance
BMG.
Overall,
work
provides
mechanistic
insight
into
reactions
under
ball-milling
represents
an
step
expanding
BMG
as
tool
for
chemical
recycling
polymethacrylates.
