Visible light-triggered depolymerization of commercial polymethacrylates
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Date
2025-02-21
Publication Type
Journal Article
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yes
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Abstract
The reversion of vinyl polymers with carbon-carbon backbones to their monomers represents an ideal path to alleviate the growing plastic waste stream. However, depolymerizing such stable materials remains a challenge, with state-of-the-art methods relying on “designer” polymers that are neither commercially produced nor suitable for real-world applications. In this work, we report a main chain–initiated, visible light–triggered depolymerization directly applicable to commercial polymers containing undisclosed impurities (e.g., comonomers, additives, or dyes). By in situ generation of chlorine radicals directly from the solvent, near-quantitative (>98%) depolymerization of polymethacrylates could be achieved regardless of their synthetic route (e.g., radical or ionic polymerization), end group, and molecular weight (up to 1.6 million daltons). The possibility to perform multigram-scale depolymerizations and confer temporal control renders this methodology a versatile and general route to recycling.
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published
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Journal / series
Volume
387 (6736)
Pages / Article No.
874 - 880
Publisher
AAAS
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Software
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Organisational unit
03810 - Jeschke, Gunnar / Jeschke, Gunnar
09767 - Choi, Tae-Lim / Choi, Tae-Lim
09644 - Anastasaki, Athina / Anastasaki, Athina
Notes
Funding
949219 - Reversing Controlled Radical Polymerisation: Towards Complete Depolymerisation (EC)