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Zhang M, Choi W, Kim M, Choi J, Zang X, Ren Y, Chen H, Tsukruk V, Peng J, Liu Y, Kim DH, Lin Z. Recent Advances in Environmentally Friendly Dual-crosslinking Polymer Networks. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024:e202318035. [PMID: 38586975 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202318035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Environmentally friendly crosslinked polymer networks feature degradable covalent or non-covalent bonds, with many of them manifesting dynamic characteristics. These attributes enable convenient degradation, facile reprocessibility, and self-healing capabilities. However, the inherent instability of these crosslinking bonds often compromises the mechanical properties of polymer networks, limiting their practical applications. In this context, environmentally friendly dual-crosslinking polymer networks (denoted EF-DCPNs) have emerged as promising alternatives to address this challenge. These materials effectively balance the need for high mechanical properties with the ability to degrade, recycle, and/or self-heal. Despite their promising potential, investigations into EF-DCPNs remain in their nascent stages, and several gaps and limitations persist. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of the synthesis, properties, and applications of recent progress in EF-DCPNs. Firstly, synthetic routes to a rich variety of EF-DCPNs possessing two distinct types of dynamic bonds (i.e., imine, disulfide, ester, hydrogen bond, coordination bond, and other bonds) are introduced. Subsequently, complex structure- and dynamic nature-dependent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of EF-DCPNs are discussed, followed by their exemplary applications in electronics and biotechnology. Finally, future research directions in this rapidly evolving field are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Singapore
| | - Woosung Choi
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Minju Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Singapore
- Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinyoung Choi
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Xuerui Zang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Singapore
| | - Yujing Ren
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Singapore
| | - Han Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Singapore
| | - Vladimir Tsukruk
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Juan Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yijiang Liu
- College of Chemistry, Key Lab of Environment-Friendly Chemistry and Application in Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan Province, 411105, China
| | - Dong Ha Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Zhiqun Lin
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Singapore
- Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
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2
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Fricke SN, Haber S, Hua M, Salgado M, Helms BA, Reimer JA. Magnetic resonance insights into the heterogeneous, fractal-like kinetics of chemically recyclable polymers. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadl0568. [PMID: 38569038 PMCID: PMC10990270 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl0568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Moving toward a circular plastics economy is a vital aspect of global resource management. Chemical recycling of plastics ensures that high-value monomers can be recovered from depolymerized plastic waste, thus enabling circular manufacturing. However, to increase chemical recycling throughput in materials recovery facilities, the present understanding of polymer transport, diffusion, swelling, and heterogeneous deconstruction kinetics must be systematized to allow industrial-scale process design, spanning molecular to macroscopic regimes. To develop a framework for designing depolymerization processes, we examined acidolysis of circular polydiketoenamine elastomers. We used magnetic resonance to monitor spatially resolved observables in situ and then evaluated these data with a fractal method that treats nonlinear depolymerization kinetics. This approach delineated the roles played by network architecture and reaction medium on depolymerization outcomes, yielding parameters that facilitate comparisons between bulk processes. These streamlined methods to investigate polymer hydrolysis kinetics portend a general strategy for implementing chemical recycling on an industrial scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia N. Fricke
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Shira Haber
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Mutian Hua
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Mia Salgado
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Brett A. Helms
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jeffrey A. Reimer
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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3
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Deng Y, Zhang Q, Feringa BL. Dynamic Chemistry Toolbox for Advanced Sustainable Materials. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2308666. [PMID: 38321810 PMCID: PMC11005721 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202308666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Developing dynamic chemistry for polymeric materials offers chemical solutions to solve key problems associated with current plastics. Mechanical performance and dynamic function are equally important in material design because the former determines the application scope and the latter enables chemical recycling and hence sustainability. However, it is a long-term challenge to balance the subtle trade-off between mechanical robustness and dynamic properties in a single material. The rise of dynamic chemistry, including supramolecular and dynamic covalent chemistry, provides many opportunities and versatile molecular tools for designing constitutionally dynamic materials that can adapt, repair, and recycle. Facing the growing social need for developing advanced sustainable materials without compromising properties, recent progress showing how the toolbox of dynamic chemistry can be explored to enable high-performance sustainable materials by molecular engineering strategies is discussed here. The state of the art and recent milestones are summarized and discussed, followed by an outlook toward future opportunities and challenges present in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanxin Deng
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research CenterSchool of Chemistry and Technology130 Meilong RoadShanghai200237China
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry and Zernike Institute for Advanced MaterialsFaculty of Science and EngineeringUniversity of GroningenNijenborgh 4Groningen9747 AGThe Netherlands
| | - Qi Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research CenterSchool of Chemistry and Technology130 Meilong RoadShanghai200237China
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry and Zernike Institute for Advanced MaterialsFaculty of Science and EngineeringUniversity of GroningenNijenborgh 4Groningen9747 AGThe Netherlands
| | - Ben L. Feringa
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research CenterSchool of Chemistry and Technology130 Meilong RoadShanghai200237China
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry and Zernike Institute for Advanced MaterialsFaculty of Science and EngineeringUniversity of GroningenNijenborgh 4Groningen9747 AGThe Netherlands
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4
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He C, Liu C, Pan S, Tan Y, Guan J, Xu H. Polyurethane with β-Selenocarbonyl Structure Enabling the Combination of Plastic Degradation and Waste Upcycling. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202317558. [PMID: 38156718 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202317558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Degradable polymers offer a promising solution to mitigate global plastic pollution, but the degraded products often suffer from diminished value. Upcycling is a more sustainable approach to upgrade polymer waste into value-added products. Herein, we report a β-selenocarbonyl-containing polyurethane (SePU), which can be directly degraded under mild conditions into valuable selenium fertilizers for selenium-rich vegetable cultivation globally, enabling both plastic degradation and waste upcycling. Under oxidation condition, this polymer can be easily and selectively degraded via selenoxide elimination reaction from mixed plastic waste. The degraded product can serve as effective selenium fertilizers to increase selenium content in radish and pak choi. The SePU exhibits excellent mechanical properties. Additionally, we observed the formation of spherulites-like selenium particles within the materials during degradation for the first time. Our research offers a successful application of selenoxide elimination reaction in the field of plastic degradation for the first time, endowing plastics with both degradability and high reusable value. This strategy provides a promising solution to reduce pollution and improve economy and sustainability of plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaowei He
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering and Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, 310027, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shuojiong Pan
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering and Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Yizheng Tan
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering and Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Guan
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering and Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Huaping Xu
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering and Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
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5
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Dailing EA, Khanal P, Epstein AR, Demarteau J, Persson KA, Helms BA. Circular Polydiketoenamine Elastomers with Exceptional Creep Resistance via Multivalent Cross-Linker Design. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2024; 10:54-64. [PMID: 38292616 PMCID: PMC10823519 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c01096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Elastomers are widely used in textiles, foam, and rubber, yet they are rarely recycled due to the difficulty in deconstructing polymer chains to reusable monomers. Introducing reversible bonds in these materials offers prospects for improving their circularity; however, concomitant bond exchange permits creep, which is undesirable. Here, we show how to architect dynamic covalent polydiketoenamine (PDK) elastomers prepared from polyetheramine and triketone monomers, not only for energy-efficient circularity, but also for outstanding creep resistance at high temperature. By appending polytopic cross-linking functionality at the chain ends of flexible polyetheramines, we reduced creep from >200% to less than 1%, relative to monotopic controls, producing mechanically robust and stable elastomers and carbon-reinforced rubbers that are readily depolymerized to pure monomer in high yield. We also found that the multivalent chain end was essential for ensuring complete PDK deconstruction. Mapping reaction coordinates in energy and space across a range of potential conformations reveals the underpinnings of this behavior, which involves preorganization of the transition state for diketoenamine bond acidolysis when a tertiary amine is also nearby.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A. Dailing
- Molecular
Foundry Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94270, United States
| | - Pawan Khanal
- Materials
Sciences and Engineering University of California,
Berkeley Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Alexander R. Epstein
- Materials
Sciences and Engineering University of California,
Berkeley Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Jeremy Demarteau
- Molecular
Foundry Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94270, United States
| | - Kristin A. Persson
- Molecular
Foundry Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94270, United States
- Materials
Sciences and Engineering University of California,
Berkeley Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Materials
Sciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94270, United States
| | - Brett A. Helms
- Molecular
Foundry Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94270, United States
- Materials
Sciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94270, United States
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6
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Saito K, Türel T, Eisenreich F, Tomović Ž. Closed-Loop Recyclable Poly(imine-acetal)s with Dual-Cleavable Bonds for Primary Building Block Recovery. CHEMSUSCHEM 2023; 16:e202301017. [PMID: 37518676 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202301017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Chemical recycling offers a promising solution for the end-of-life treatment of synthetic polymers. However, the efficient recovery of well-defined recycled building blocks continues to be a major challenge, especially for crosslinked thermosets. Here, we developed vanillin-based polymer networks functionalized with dual-cleavable imine and acetal bonds that facilitate chemical recycling to primary building blocks and their convenient separation at the molecular level. A library of crosslinked poly(imine-acetal)s was synthesized by combining the in-bulk synthesized liquid di-vanillin acetal monomer (DVA) with commercially available liquid di- and triamines under solvent-free conditions. These thermosets showed tailor-made thermal and mechanical properties along with outstanding chemical recyclability. Under aqueous acidic conditions, poly(imine-acetal)s selectively and completely disintegrate into small molecules. During the polymer design stage, these compounds were carefully selected to enable facile separation without tedious techniques. As a result, the primary building blocks were isolated in high yields and purity and immediately reused to produce fresh polymers with identical thermomechanical properties. Since our "design for recycling" concept aims at obtaining the primary building blocks rather than monomers after depolymerization, a plethora of possibilities are unlocked to utilize these chemical resources, including closed-loop recycling as portrayed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Saito
- Polymer Performance Materials Group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB, Eindhoven (The, Netherlands
| | - Tankut Türel
- Polymer Performance Materials Group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB, Eindhoven (The, Netherlands
| | - Fabian Eisenreich
- Polymer Performance Materials Group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB, Eindhoven (The, Netherlands
| | - Željko Tomović
- Polymer Performance Materials Group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB, Eindhoven (The, Netherlands
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7
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Zhou X, Zheng Y, Zhang H, Yang L, Cui Y, Krishnan BP, Dong S, Aizenberg M, Xiong X, Hu Y, Aizenberg J, Cui J. Reversibly growing crosslinked polymers with programmable sizes and properties. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3302. [PMID: 37280214 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38768-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Growth constitutes a powerful method to post-modulate materials' structures and functions without compromising their mechanical performance for sustainable use, but the process is irreversible. To address this issue, we here report a growing-degrowing strategy that enables thermosetting materials to either absorb or release components for continuously changing their sizes, shapes, compositions, and a set of properties simultaneously. The strategy is based on the monomer-polymer equilibrium of networks in which supplying or removing small polymerizable components would drive the networks toward expansion or contraction. Using acid-catalyzed equilibration of siloxane as an example, we demonstrate that the size and mechanical properties of the resulting silicone materials can be significantly or finely tuned in both directions of growth and decomposition. The equilibration can be turned off to yield stable products or reactivated again. During the degrowing-growing circle, material structures are selectively varied either uniformly or heterogeneously, by the availability of fillers. Our strategy endows the materials with many appealing capabilities including environment adaptivity, self-healing, and switchability of surface morphologies, shapes, and optical properties. Since monomer-polymer equilibration exists in many polymers, we envision the expansion of the presented strategy to various systems for many applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhuang Zhou
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
- INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Yijun Zheng
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Haohui Zhang
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, US
| | - Li Yang
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Yubo Cui
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Baiju P Krishnan
- INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Shihua Dong
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Michael Aizenberg
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Xinhong Xiong
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Yuhang Hu
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, US
- The School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, US
| | - Joanna Aizenberg
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Jiaxi Cui
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China.
- INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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8
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Zhang D, Vashahi F, Dashtimoghadam E, Hu X, Wang CJ, Garcia J, Bystrova AV, Vatankhah-Varnoosfaderani M, Leibfarth FA, Sheiko SS. Circular Upcycling of Bottlebrush Thermosets. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202217941. [PMID: 36583627 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202217941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The inability to re-process thermosets hinders their utility and sustainability. An ideal material should combine closed-loop recycling and upcycling capabilities. This trait is realized in polydimethylsiloxane bottlebrush networks using thermoreversible Diels-Alder cycloadditions to enable both reversible disassembly into a polymer melt and on-demand reconfiguration to an elastomer of either lower or higher stiffness. The crosslink density was tuned by loading the functionalized networks with a controlled fraction of dormant crosslinkers and crosslinker scavengers, such as furan-capped bis-maleimide and anthracene, respectively. The resulting modulus variations precisely followed the stoichiometry of activated furan and maleimide moieties, demonstrating the lack of side reactions during reprocessing. The presented circularity concept is independent from the backbone or side chain chemistry, making it potentially applicable to a wide range of brush-like polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daixuan Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Foad Vashahi
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Erfan Dashtimoghadam
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Xiaobo Hu
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Claire J Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jessica Garcia
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Aleksandra V Bystrova
- A.N.Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova St. 28, Moscow, 119334, Russian Federation
| | | | - Frank A Leibfarth
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Sergei S Sheiko
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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9
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Zhang Z, Lei D, Zhang C, Wang Z, Jin Y, Zhang W, Liu X, Sun J. Strong and Tough Supramolecular Covalent Adaptable Networks with Room-Temperature Closed-Loop Recyclability. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2208619. [PMID: 36367361 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202208619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Development of closed-loop chemically recyclable plastics (CCRPs) that can be widely used in daily life can be a fundamental solution to the global plastic waste crisis. Hence, it is of great significance to develop easy-to-recycle CCRPs that possess superior or comparable material properties to the commodity plastics. Here, a novel dual crosslinked CCRP, namely, supramolecular covalent adaptable networks (supra-CANs), is reported, which not only displays mechanical properties higher than the strong and tough commodity polycarbonate, but also exhibits excellent solvent resistance as thermosets. The supra-CANs are constructed by introducing reversible noncovalent crosslinks into the dynamic covalent polymer networks, resulting in highly stiff and strong thermosets that also exhibit thermoplastic-like ductile and tough behaviors as well as reprocessability and rehealability. In great contrast, the analogs that do not have noncovalent crosslinks (CANs) show elastomeric properties with significantly decreased mechanical strength. Importantly, the developed supra-CANs and CANs can be converted back into the initial monomers in high yields and purity at room temperature, even with additives, which enables the sustainable polymer-monomer-polymer circulation. This work provides new design principles for high-performance chemically recyclable polymers as sustainable substitutes for the conventional plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoqiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Dong Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Chenxuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Yinghua Jin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Xiaokong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Junqi Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
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10
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A Multifunctional Biomass Zinc Catalyst for Epoxy-Based Vitrimers and Composites. Eur Polym J 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2023.111936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
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11
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Saito K, Eisenreich F, Türel T, Tomović Ž. Closed-Loop Recycling of Poly(Imine-Carbonate) Derived from Plastic Waste and Bio-based Resources. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202211806. [PMID: 36074694 PMCID: PMC9828757 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202211806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Closed-loop recycling of polymers represents the key technology to convert plastic waste in a sustainable fashion. Efficient chemical recycling and upcycling strategies are thus highly sought-after to establish a circular plastic economy. Here, we present the selective chemical depolymerization of polycarbonate by employing a vanillin derivative as bio-based feedstock. The resulting di-vanillin carbonate monomer was used in combination with various amines to construct a library of reprocessable poly(imine-carbonate)s, which show tailor-made thermal and mechanical properties. These novel poly(imine-carbonate)s exhibit excellent recyclability under acidic and energy-efficient conditions. This allows the recovery of monomers in high yields and purity for immediate reuse, even when mixed with various commodity plastics. This work provides exciting new insights in the design of bio-based circular polymers produced by upcycling of plastic waste with minimal environmental impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Saito
- Polymer Performance Materials GroupDepartment of Chemical Engineering and ChemistryEindhoven University of Technology5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
| | - Fabian Eisenreich
- Polymer Performance Materials GroupDepartment of Chemical Engineering and ChemistryEindhoven University of Technology5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
| | - Tankut Türel
- Polymer Performance Materials GroupDepartment of Chemical Engineering and ChemistryEindhoven University of Technology5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
| | - Željko Tomović
- Polymer Performance Materials GroupDepartment of Chemical Engineering and ChemistryEindhoven University of Technology5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands,Institute for Complex Molecular SystemsEindhoven University of Technology5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
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12
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Abstract
The mismanagement and leakage of plastic waste into the environment are failures of modern society. Once in the environment, plastic waste degrades into microplastics on a time scale dependent on the resin chemistry and the associated biotic or abiotic process. The high surface area of microplastics results in the contamination of ecosystems through the leaching of toxic chemicals compounded with plastics during manufacturing. In addition, the small size of microplastics increases the likelihood that they will be inhaled or ingested, which has led to the bioaccumulation of microplastics with documented harm. Furthermore, microplastics are more readily aerosolized and distributed by weather systems to areas remote from locations where plastic waste has been mismanaged. Consequently, the carbon cycle must now account for plastic waste discharge, degradation, and dispersal in the environment after the end of useful life on a global scale.Circularity in plastics recycling endeavors to solve the waste problem while promoting greater sustainability. Circularity can be conducted at different stages in the plastics life cycle. Post-industrial recycling enabling scrap recovery in manufacturing is desirable for industrial material efficiency. However, the degradation of polymer chains currently limits the extent to which scrap recovery may be practiced repeatedly on the same material, particularly when the conversion of secondary resin to various plastic products is intolerant to deviations in polymer properties. Post-consumer recycling, on the other hand, is desirable for erasing the manufacturing history and use history of plastic-containing products. Post-consumer recycling involves cleaning and sorting plastic waste into bales, followed by mechanical recycling to produce dense feedstocks for downstream chemical processes required for deconstruction, monomer refinement, and secondary resin production. The efficiency and intensity of chemical processes used to recover reusable monomers or polymers remain low for most plastics. Consequently, there is an urgent need for novel polymers with useful or advantageous properties designed for recycling by addressing the challenges of resource recovery for reuse.In this Account, I discuss the design, discovery, and development of circular plastics based on the chemistry of polydiketoenamines. The diketoenamine bond provides a vantage point for the creation of thermoplastics, elastomers, and thermosets from polytopic triketone and amine monomers. The dynamic covalent character of the diketoenamine bond can be exploited during scrap recovery to provide resilience during mechanical recycling, maintaining baseline properties of the primary resin through multiple cycles of reuse. Furthermore, the hydrolyzability of the diketoenamine bond in strong acid can be exploited for efficient monomer recovery during chemical recycling. A systems-level analysis of polydiketoenamine circularity reveals substantive benefits in low-carbon manufacturing as well as a context to quantify the market potential, identifying use cases where circularity might be most effective. Leveraging these insights, it is possible to guide the process chemistry development necessary to scale monomer and resin production to meet imminent needs for more circular plastics in the market. These insights also provide a glimpse into the underlying molecular mechanisms critical to circularity in a new plastics economy while firmly establishing a role for creativity in polymer chemistry to provide innovative solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett A Helms
- Materials Sciences Division and The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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13
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Saito K, Eisenreich F, Türel T, Tomović Ž. Closed‐loop Recycling of Poly(Imine‐Carbonate) Derived from Plastic Waste and Bio‐based Resources. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202211806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Keita Saito
- Eindhoven University of Technology: Technische Universiteit Eindhoven Chemical Engineering and Chemistry NETHERLANDS
| | - Fabian Eisenreich
- Eindhoven University of Technology: Technische Universiteit Eindhoven Chemical Engineering and Chemistry NETHERLANDS
| | - Tankut Türel
- Eindhoven University of Technology: Technische Universiteit Eindhoven Chemical Engineering and Chemistry NETHERLANDS
| | - Željko Tomović
- Eindhoven University of Technology: Technische Universiteit Eindhoven Chemical Engineering and Chemistry NETHERLANDS
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14
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Dugas LD, Walker WD, Shankar R, Hoppmeyer KS, Thornell TL, Morgan SE, Storey RF, Patton DL, Simon YC. Diketoenamine-based Vitrimers via Thiol-ene photopolymerization. Macromol Rapid Commun 2022; 43:e2200249. [PMID: 35856189 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202200249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Likened to both thermosets and thermoplastics, vitrimers are a unique class of materials that combine remarkable stability, healability, and reprocessability. Herein, we describe a photopolymerized thiol-ene-based vitrimer that undergoes dynamic covalent exchanges through uncatalyzed transamination of enamines derived from cyclic β-triketones, whereby the low energy barrier for exchange facilitates reprocessing and enables rapid depolymerization. Accordingly, we devised an alkene-functionalized β-triketone, 5,5-dimethyl-2-(pent-4-enoyl)cyclohexane-1,3-dione, which was reacted with 1,6-diaminohexane in a stoichiometrically imbalanced fashion (∼1:0.85 primary amine:triketone). The resulting networks exhibited subambient glass transition temperature (Tg = 5.66°C) by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Using a Maxwell stress-relaxation fit, the topology freezing temperature (Tv ) was calculated to be -32°C. Small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) rheological analysis enabled us to identify a practical critical temperature above which the vitrimer could be successfully reprocessed (Tv,eff ). Via the introduction of excess primary amines, we could readily degrade the networks into monomeric precursors, which were in turn reacted with diamines to regenerate reprocessable networks. Photopolymerization provides unique spatiotemporal control over the network topology, thereby opening the path for further investigation of vitrimer properties. As such, this work expands the toolbox of chemical upcycling of networks and enables their wider implementation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan D Dugas
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5050, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - William D Walker
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5050, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Rahul Shankar
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5050, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Keely S Hoppmeyer
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5050, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Travis L Thornell
- US Army, Engineering Research & Development Center, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, Vicksburg, MS, 39180, USA
| | - Sarah E Morgan
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5050, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Robson F Storey
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5050, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Derek L Patton
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5050, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Yoan C Simon
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5050, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
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