Scientific Achievement
A method to chemically recycle polyolefins with unsaturation in the polymer backbones.
Significance and Impact
Polyolefins limited pathways to chemical recycling and are often difficult to mechanically recycle. This work demonstrates the possibility of chemically recycling polyolefins by first introducing double bonds into the polymer backbones. Upon functionalization, the polyolefin can be transformed into a chemically recyclable material with ester linkages.
Research Details
- The copolymerization of propylene and butadiene was performed using a Hafnium biphenylphenoxide precatalyst.
- The copolymer underwent cross-metathesis and hydrogenation to form the macromonomers.
- The macromonomers could be polymerized to form the ester-linked polypropylene which could be depolymerized to regenerate the macromonomers to achieve chemical recycling.
Kocen, A. L.; Cui, S.; Lin, T.; LaPointe, A. M.; Coates, G. W. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 12613-12618. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c04499
Work was performed at Cornell University.
iCOUP, an EFRC Supported by Basic Energy Sciences