The effect of polymer concentration on the equilibrium monomer concentration for the anionic polymerization of α-methylstyrene in tetrahydrofuran

The thermodynamics and kinetics of depolymerization: what makes vinyl monomer regeneration feasible?

Depolymerization is potentially a highly advantageous method of recycling plastic waste which could move the world closer towards a truly circular polymer economy. However, depolymerization remains challenging for many polymers with all-carbon backbones. Fundamental understanding and consideration of both the kinetics and thermodynamics are essential in order to develop effective new depolymerization systems that could overcome this problem, as the feasibility of monomer generation can be drastically altered by tuning the reaction conditions. This perspective explores the underlying thermodynamics and kinetics governing radical depolymerization of addition polymers by revisiting pioneering work started in the mid-20th century and demonstrates its connection to exciting recent advances which report depolymerization reaching near-quantitative monomer regeneration at much lower temperatures than seen previously. Recent catalytic approaches to monomer regeneration are also explored, highlighting that this nascent chemistry could potentially revolutionize depolymerization-based polymer recycling in the future.

Photoassisted Radical Depolymerization

Controlled radical polymerization techniques enable the synthesis of polymers with predetermined molecular weights, narrow molecular weight distributions, and controlled architectures. Moreover, these polymerization approaches have been routinely shown to result in retained end-group functionality that can be reactivated to continue polymerization. However, reactivation of these end groups under conditions that instead promote depropagation is a viable route to initiate depolymerization and potentially enable closed-loop recycling from polymer to monomer. In this report, we investigate light as a trigger for thermal depolymerization of polymers prepared by reversible-addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. We study the role of irradiation wavelength by targeting the n → π* and π → π* electronic transitions of the thiocarbonylthio end-groups of RAFT-generated polymers to enhance depolymerization via terminal bond homolysis. Specifically, we explore depolymerization of polymers with trithiocarbonate, dithiocarbamate, and p-substituted dithiobenzoate end groups with the purpose of increasing depolymerization efficiency with light. As the wavelength decreases from the visible range to the UV range, the rate of depolymerization is dramatically increased. This method of photoassisted depolymerization allows up to 87% depolymerization efficiency within 1 h, results that may further the advancement of recyclable materials and life-cycle circularity.

“Like Recycles Like”: Selective Ring‐Closing Depolymerization of Poly(L‐Lactic Acid) to L‐Lactide

Chemical recycling of poly(L‐lactic acid) to the cyclic monomer L‐lactide is hampered by low selectivity and by epimerization and elimination reactions, impeding its use on a large scale. The high number of side reactions originates from the high ceiling temperature (T_c) of L‐lactide, which necessitates high temperatures or multistep reactions to achieve recycling to L‐lactide. To circumvent this issue, we utilized the impact of solvent interactions on the monomer–polymer equilibrium to decrease the T_c of L‐lactide. Analyzing the observed T_c in different solvents in relation to their Hildebrand solubility parameter revealed a “like recycles like” relationship. The decreased T_c, obtained by selecting solvents that interact strongly with the monomer (dimethyl formamide or the green solvent γ‐valerolactone), allowed chemical recycling of high‐molecular‐weight poly(L‐lactic acid) directly to L‐lactide, within 1–4 h at 140 °C, with >95 % conversion and 98–99 % selectivity. Recycled L‐lactide was isolated and repolymerized with high control over molecular weight and dispersity, closing the polymer loop.

A Thermodynamic Roadmap for the Grafting-through Polymerization of PDMS11MA

Grafting-through atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was used to polymerize a sterically hindered poly(dimethylsiloxane) methacrylate (PDMS₁₁MA, M_n = 1000) macromonomer to high conversion as a function of temperature, solvent, initial monomer concentration, and pressure. Higher polymerization yields were obtained when polymerizations were conducted at (i) lower temperature (T), (ii) in a poor solvent for the side chain, (iii) higher initial monomer concentration ([M]₀), and (iv) higher pressure by mitigating the contribution of the equilibrium monomer concentration ([M]_eq). The enthalpy of polymerization (ΔH_p) and entropy of polymerization (ΔS_p) were more negative in poor solvents. Polymerizations at ambient pressure required higher [M]₀, use of a poor solvent, and lower temperatures to reach higher conversion with good control, whereas high pressure ATRP (HP-ATRP) displayed better control under dilute conditions. Grafting-through polymerization at high P and higher [M]₀ was less controlled, plausibly due to limited solubility and mobility of the copper catalyst in the highly viscous medium.

Poor Solvents Improve Yield of Grafting-Through Radical Polymerization of OEO19MA

Radical polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (OEO₁₉MA, M_n ∼ 950) at an initial monomer concentration of 150 mM was investigated as a function of solvent composition. Conventional and controlled radical polymerizations in anisole at 60 °C converged at approximately the same equilibrium monomer concentration ([M]_eq) of ∼38 mM, suggesting that livingness or diminished termination did not affect the thermodynamic parameters of polymerization. Conventional radical polymerizations (RPs) in anisole, dimethylformamide (DMF), toluene, and 1×PBS buffered water were taken to approximately 98% thermal initiator decomposition to determine [M]_eq at reaction completion within a broad temperature range. The enthalpy (ΔH_p) and entropy (ΔS_p^°) of polymerization were solvent-dependent. Polymerizations in 1×PBS were the most thermodynamically favorable, followed by those in DMF, toluene, and anisole. -ΔH_p and -ΔS_p increased with the square of the difference in the Hansen solubility parameters of poly(ethylene glycol) and the solvent. It is proposed that poor solvents favor polymer-polymer interactions over polymer-solvent interactions, which improves the thermodynamic polymerizability.

Control of self-assembly of lithographically patternable block copolymer films

Poly(alpha-methylstyrene)-block-poly(4-hydroxystyrene) acts as both a lithographic deep UV photoresist and a self-assembling material, making it ideal for patterning simultaneously by both top-down and bottom-up fabrication methods. Solvent vapor annealing improves the quality of the self-assembled patterns in this material without compromising its ability to function as a photoresist. The choice of solvent used for annealing allows for control of the self-assembled pattern morphology. Annealing in a nonselective solvent (tetrahydrofuran) results in parallel orientation of cylindrical domains, while a selective solvent (acetone) leads to formation of a trapped spherical morphology. Finally, we have self-assembled both cylindrical and spherical phases within lithographically patterned features, demonstrating the ability to precisely control ordering. Observing the time evolution of switching from cylindrical to spherical morphology within these features provides clues to the mechanism of ordering by selective solvent.