Polyesters continue to receive intense attention in our search for materials sustainability due to the electrophilic reactivity of the ester carbonyl in the polymer main chain. A diversity of chemo- and bio-catalytic pathways exist for the depolymerization of polyesters and returning waste plastics to highly pure reactive monomers and oligomers. The ester carbonyl is amenable to a diversity of depolymerization methods such as popular methanolysis and glycolysis in the presence of diverse catalysts. In addition, polyester compositions are highly tunable in terms of reactivity of the ester carbonyl and a wide range of various dicarboxylic acids and diols that are readily commercially available. Recent efforts have involved the inclusion of ester-containing segments into a range of polymer compositions including polysulfones and polyolefins, enabling both polymer families to be susceptible to depolymerization and the release of preformed sequences that will enable more facile separation and isolation. The primary concern is the isolation of highly pure monomers and telechelic oligomers that are amenable to subsequent step-growth polymerization where monomer purities and extents of reaction must both exceed 99%. The following figure depicts the introduction of ester-containing sequences into polyethylene using carboxylic acid terminated polyethylene oligomers that are accessible with ROMP techniques. In addition, telechelic engineering polymers with terminal aliphatic hydroxyl functionality are amenable to copolymerization in commercially viable polycondensation processes. Polyester polyols have also received attention in segmented polyurethane compositions despite some compromises in mechanical performance. Initial efforts involved the preparation of poly(arylene ether sulfones), which are recovered post polyester depolymerization.

Sustaining our passion for sustainability: Segmented polyesters enabling recycling and upcycling

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.