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Completely Recyclable Monomers and Polycarbonate: Approach to Sustainable Polymers
Author(s) -
Liu Ye,
Zhou Hui,
Guo JiaZhi,
Ren WeiMin,
Lu XiaoBing
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201701438
Subject(s) - polycarbonate , monomer , copolymer , depolymerization , epoxide , polymer , epoxy , polymer chemistry , materials science , yield (engineering) , chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , composite material
It is of great significance to depolymerize used or waste polymers to recover the starting monomers suitable for repolymerization reactions that reform recycled materials no different from the virgin polymer. Herein, we report a novel recyclable plastic: degradable polycarbonate synthesized by dinuclear chromium‐complex‐mediated copolymerization of CO 2 with 1‐benzyloxycarbonyl‐3,4‐epoxy pyrrolidine, a meso ‐epoxide. Notably, the novel polycarbonate with more than 99 % carbonate linkages could be recycled back into the epoxide monomer in quantitative yield under mild reaction conditions. Remarkably, the copolymerization/depolymerization processes can be achieved by the ON/OFF reversible temperature switch, and recycled several times without any change in the epoxide monomer and copolymer. These characteristics accord well with the concept of perfectly sustainable polymers.