Poly(phthalaldehyde) and its copolymers are metastable polymers that have been shown to rapidly depolymerize from the solid state back into its constituent monomers, a capability made possible through their favorable polymerization thermodynamics. This depolymerization upon triggering makes it well suited as a chemically recyclable polymer, sacrificial materials for lithography and semiconductor manufacturing, or fabricating stimuli-responsive devices. The manufacturing of the materials using a continuous flow reactor provides consistency and scalability towards large volumes that is not as easily afforded from batch production. The feasibility of continuous flow processes for low ceiling temperature polymerizations on relatively large scales is demonstrated for several hours to produce hundreds of grams of metastable polymer.

Pilot scale production of depolymerizable poly(phthalaldehyde)s using a cryogenic, continuous flow reactor

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.