Polymers that can be broken down into small molecules (i.e., degradable polymers) have received considerable attention as an option for sustainable materials. Despite the developments, few degradable polymers can match the stability and mechanical properties of the polymeric materials in current use. The degradation of polymers is typically enabled by stimuli-responsive cleavable groups such as esters, acetals, and silyl ethers, which are embedded in the polymer backbone. While these functional groups enable degradation, they can also be slowly triggered to degrade under ambient conditions, posing stability issues. In this presentation, we demonstrate that introducing a mechanophore as a locking moiety and bringing the degradable functional group on sidechain can increase the polymer stability; when degradation is needed, the locking moiety can be mechanically unlocked to bring the degradable functional groups into the polymer backbone, forming a readily degradable polymer. Compared to current degradable polymers, the two-step degradation mechanism allows for the polymer deconstruction to proceed in an on-demand fashion and is expected to increase the service lifetime of the materials while maintaining the capability of recycling.

Mechanically converting non-degradable polymers into degradable ones for recycling/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.