Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jack M. Payne, Muhammad Kamran, Matthew G. Davidson, Matthew D. Jones
Summary: In this study, Zn-II complexes were used for the mild and selective chemical upcycling of commercial polyesters and polycarbonates, and the first example of discrete metal-mediated poly(bisphenol A carbonate) methanolysis at room temperature was reported. A completely circular upcycling approach to plastic waste was demonstrated by producing renewable poly(ester-amide)s from bottle-grade PET.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Claire A. L. Lidston, Sarah M. Severson, Brooks A. Abel, Geoffrey W. Coates
Summary: The ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) of epoxides with CO2 or cyclic anhydrides using multifunctional catalysts has been explored as a versatile route for synthesizing a wide range of polycarbonate and polyester copolymers. Covalently tethering the Lewis acid catalyst and cocatalyst together has been shown to increase both catalyst activity and selectivity in epoxide ROCOP. This review examines the development of multifunctional catalysts for copolymerization of epoxides with CO2, cyclic anhydrides, carbonyl sulfide (COS), and cyclic thioanhydrides, and evaluates how the mechanisms of these catalysts lead to improved activity and selectivity in ROCOP.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yifan Jia, Zhiqiang Sun, Chenyang Hu, Xuan Pang
Summary: With the increasing demand for sustainable development, there is a growing interest in using natural biomass to produce sustainable polymers. To achieve better performance, block copolymers with wide tunability are synthesized. Switchable polymerization is a practical strategy to produce biodegradable block copolymers with diverse performance. This review focuses on the performance of block copolymers bearing biodegradable polymer segments produced by switchable polymerization.
Article
Polymer Science
Rebecca Mohr, Manfred Wagner, Sirus Zarbakhsh, Holger Frey
Summary: The combination of hydrophobic PDMS blocks with hydrophilic polyether segments plays a key role for silicone surfactants in this study. Using DMC catalyst, direct copolymerization of cyclic siloxanes and epoxides is achieved, leading to the formation of gradient PPO-PDMS copolymers. Contact angle measurements show increased hydrophobicity and a glass transition of -95 degrees C for copolymers with 46% SiO content.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yan Yu, Bang Gao, Ye Liu, Xiao-Bing Lu
Summary: This study reports a highly efficient chemical recycling method to depolymerize CO2-based alicyclic polycarbonates into epoxide monomers. The method is solvent-free and exhibits excellent reactivity and high epoxide monomer selectivity.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Mingchen Jia, Jingjing Liu, Yves Gnanou, Xiaoshuang Feng
Summary: In this study, a series of ABA triblock copolymers were successfully synthesized using a one-pot method. The copolymers consisted of a poly(propylene carbonate-co-propylene oxide) middle block and two poly(N-tosyl propylene urethane) outer blocks. The synthesis was conducted using a difunctional initiator and triethyl borane (TEB). The copolymers exhibited well-defined structures as confirmed by 1H NMR and SEC. The thermal and mechanical properties of the copolymers were characterized using TGA, DSC, and UTM, showing higher toughness compared to commercial polyolefins.
Article
Polymer Science
Hongxin Yao, Yongkang Zuo, Yiye Song, Wenyan Huang, Qimin Jiang, Xiaoqiang Xue, Li Jiang, Jinbao Xu, Hongjun Yang, Bibiao Jiang
Summary: Plastic wastes have caused severe pollution to land and ocean environments worldwide. Researchers have developed a chemical recycling process called back-to-oligomer, which can convert polymeric blends with different structures and molecular weights into homo-/co-oligomers with a predetermined molecular weight and distribution. By changing the feed ratio or adding alcohol, the produced oligomers can be controlled and the molecular weight further increased by in situ addition of monomers. This recycling strategy offers an efficient method for the preparation of high-value polymers from mixed plastic wastes.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Guan-Lin Liu, Hsin-Wei Wu, Zheng-Ian Lin, Min-Gan Liao, Yu-Chia Su, Chih-Kuang Chen, Bao-Tsan Ko
Summary: Functionalized polycarbonates from carbon dioxide have been synthesized using efficient catalysis strategies with dinuclear nickel catalysts. These polycarbonates have shown unique applications in the field of biomaterials, showcasing their potential for diverse biomedical functions.
Review
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Gulzar A. Bhat, Donald J. Darensbourg
Summary: The use of carbon dioxide for producing polymeric materials as an alternative feedstock has promising prospects. The synthesis of polycarbonates from CO2 and epoxides has attracted much attention, and metal coordination complexes have greatly advanced the synthetic capability and mechanistic understanding of these reactions. This review focuses on the advancements in CO2/epoxide polymerization processes using various main group and transition metal complexes as catalysts for thermoplastic preparation, while also discussing the development of organocatalysts based on their metal counterparts.
COORDINATION CHEMISTRY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Daniel L. Lourenco, Daniela F. Oliveira, Ana C. Fernandes
Summary: This work presents the depolymerization of polyester and polycarbonate plastic waste into valuable compounds using manganese compounds as catalysts and boranes and silanes as reducing agents. The results showed good to excellent yields, and a commercially available manganese catalyst called Si-Mn was proven to be highly efficient. The study also investigated the consecutive depolymerization of polyesters using different manganese catalysts, which showed excellent catalytic activity.
ADVANCED SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Ting Shen, Xu-feng Ni, Jun Ling
Summary: Rare earth (RE) catalysts exhibit high catalytic activity in ring-opening polymerization, allowing for high molecular weight and polymerization rate and expanding the polymerization scope to traditionally non-polymerizable monomers. They also enable stereoselective polymerization and tailored polymer structures through slight modifications of ligands. The unique advantages of RE catalysts in controlling polymerization and structure are illustrated, along with a novel Janus polymerization mechanism providing a facile methodology to synthesize polymers with sophisticated chemical structures and topologies in one step. New catalysts and mechanisms of ring-opening polymerizations show potential in creating new materials.
ACTA POLYMERICA SINICA
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Marco Piccini, Jasmine Lightfoot, Bernardo Castro Dominguez, Antoine Buchard
Summary: This study explores the structure-properties relationships of polyesters and polyethers derived from bioderived sources through metathesis polymerization. The research shows that polymers can be modified postpolymerization by reacting their internal carbon-carbon double bonds, leading to lower glass transition temperatures and the insertion of additional functional groups. The resulting materials exhibit properties that can compete with polyolefins like polyethylene, with semicrystalline polymers showing remarkable polyethylene-like characteristics in film form.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Guan-Wen Yang, Cheng-Kai Xu, Rui Xie, Yao-Yao Zhang, Xiao-Feng Zhu, Guang-Peng Wu
Summary: This study presents pinwheel-shaped organoboron catalysts for the copolymerization of epichlorohydrin and CO2, achieving high polymer selectivity and quantitative CO2 uptake under mild conditions. The produced poly(chloropropylene carbonate) exhibits the highest molecular weight and glass transition temperature reported to date. The metal-free catalyst shows robust performance and potential for advancing CO2-based polycarbonates.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ilaria Grimaldi, Federica Santulli, Marina Lamberti, Mina Mazzeo
Summary: Salen, Salan, and Salalen chromium (III) chloride complexes have been studied as catalysts for the ring-opening copolymerization reactions. The salan and salalen complexes showed high activity in the production of polycarbonates, while the salen complex exhibited the best performance in the copolymerization of phthalic anhydride with the epoxides. Diblock polycarbonate-polyester copolymers were selectively obtained by one-pot procedures, and all chromium complexes showed high activity in the chemical depolymerization of polycyclohexene carbonate.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Huining Ding, Xianmin Wu, Bing Han, Ning Liu, Binyuan Liu, Il Kim
Summary: Highly regioselective ring-opening copolymerizations of 5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (NA) and epoxide monomers have been achieved using Cr-III catalysts and specific ligands, allowing for the control of cis/trans regioselectivity in the resulting polyesters by adjusting feed ratio and monomer structure. The resulting polyesters from the copolymerization of NA and epichlorohydrin provide a robust platform for post-modification, with the ring-strained C=C double bonds in the norbornene units facilitating further functionalization through azide-alkene 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions based on desired targets.
Article
Polymer Science
Christina G. Rodriguez, Robert C. Ferrier, Alysha Helenic, Nathaniel A. Lynd
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Geetanjali Shukla, Vinod K. Shahi
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Geetanjali Shukla, Vinod K. Shahi
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2018)
Article
Polymer Science
Robert C. Ferrier, Srimanta Pakhira, Sarah E. Palmon, Christina G. Rodriguez, David J. Goldfeld, Oluwagbenga O. Iyiola, Malgorzata Chwatko, Jose L. Mendoza-Cortes, Nathaniel A. Lynd
Article
Polymer Science
Nathaniel A. Lynd, Robert C. Ferrier, Bryan S. Beckingham
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Geetanjali Shukla, Vinod K. Shahi
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Physics, Applied
Niloofar Safaie, Robert C. Ferrier
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2020)
Article
Polymer Science
Niloofar Safaie, Bandana Rawal, Kohji Ohno, Robert C. Ferrier
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela, Lauren Spahn, Niloofar Safaie, Robert Charles Ferrier, Rebecca G. Ong
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2020)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Ruikun Sun, Matthew Melton, Niloofar Safaie, Robert C. Ferrier, Shiwang Cheng, Yun Liu, Xiaobing Zuo, Yangyang Wang
Summary: The microscopic origin of mechanical enhancement in polymer nanocomposite (PNC) melts was investigated using rheology and small-angle neutron scattering. It was found that the mechanical reinforcement of PNCs is not due to molecular overstraining, but rather a redistribution of strain field in the polymer matrix. This redistribution is similar to the classical hydrodynamic effect of nanoparticles.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Robert C. Ferrier, Gouree Kumbhar, Shaylynn Crum-Dacon, Nathaniel A. Lynd
Summary: Polyethers and polythioethers have a long history and wide range of applications in polymer science. This article summarizes their applications, synthetic methods, and scoring, providing guidance for those interested in synthesizing these materials.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Geetanjali Shukla, Vinod K. Shahi
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xingwen Yu, Sinan Feng, Mathew J. Boyer, Myungsuk Lee, Robert C. Ferrier, Nathaniel A. Lynd, Gyeong S. Hwang, Guibin Wang, Steve Swinnea, Arumugam Manthiram
MATERIALS TODAY ENERGY
(2018)