Polyolefins are long hydrocarbon chains that demonstrate chemical robustness, thermal stability, and mechanical strength while maintaining an ease of processibility. These properties make polyolefins ideal candidates for versatile applications as plastics. Chemically resistant polyolefins, however, present a major challenge towards end-of-life solutions for post-consumer plastic waste. Functionalization of polyolefins represents a scientific opportunity to incorporate functional groups along an otherwise non-polar chain for the enhancement of value-added properties. The importance of functionalized polyolefins has stimulated efforts to translate the approaches established on small molecules to polymer substrates, thus, catalyst utilized in solution-phase chemistry has been applied for the use of upcycling plastic waste. In this talk I will present a strategy to convert pre and post-consumer polyolefins into a new recyclable polymer with similar mechanical properties to the starting feedstock.  We envision that this strategy will be utilized to address end-of-life solutions to other polyolefins.

Chemical looping of polyethylene via catalytic dehydrogenation, metathesis and repolymerization

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.