Mechanically triggered on-demand degradation of polymers synthesized by radical polymerizations
Abstract
Polymers that degrade on demand have the potential to facilitate chemical recycling, reduce environmental pollution and are useful in implant immolation, drug delivery or as adhesives that debond on demand. However, polymers made by radical polymerization, which feature all carbon-bond backbones and constitute the most important class of polymers, have proven difficult to render degradable. Here we report cyclobutene-based monomers that can be co-polymerized with conventional monomers and impart the resulting polymers with mechanically triggered degradability. The cyclobutene residues act as mechanophores and can undergo a mechanically triggered ring-opening reaction, which causes a rearrangement that renders the polymer chains cleavable by hydrolysis under basic conditions. These cyclobutene-based monomers are broadly applicable in free radical and controlled radical polymerizations, introduce functional groups into the backbone of polymers and allow the mechanically gated degradation of high-molecular-weight materials or cross-linked polymer networks into low-molecular-weight species. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000669549Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Nature ChemistryVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
NatureSubject
Chemical engineering; Polymer synthesis; Polymers; SustainabilityMore
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