Zhang Xun, Xia Yanni, Sun Yue, Zhang Chengjian, Zhang Xinghong
National Key Laboratory of Biobased Transportation Fuel Technology, International Research Center for X Polymers, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, 310027, Hangzhou, China.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2024 Mar 18;63(12):e202315524. doi: 10.1002/anie.202315524. Epub 2024 Feb 12.
Researchers have been chasing plastics that can automatically and fully degrade into valuable products under natural conditions. Here, we develop a series of water-degradable polymers from the first reported fast and selective cationic copolymerization of formaldehyde (B) with cyclic anhydrides (A). In addition to readily accessible monomers, the method is performed at industrially relevant temperatures (~100 °C), takes tens or even minutes, and uses common acid as the catalyst. Interestingly, such polymers possess tunable AB/ABB-type repeating units, which are considered to be thermodynamic and kinetic products, respectively, resulting in low carbon content ([O] : [C] up to 1 : 1). Notably, the polymers can completely degrade to valuable diacids within 150 days in water at ambient temperature owing to the incorporation of carboxyl terminals and acid-responsive acetal units. By washing with aqueous sodium carbonate, the polymers are relatively stable over several months.
研究人员一直在寻找能够在自然条件下自动且完全降解为有价值产品的塑料。在此，我们通过首次报道的甲醛（B）与环状酸酐（A）的快速选择性阳离子共聚反应，开发出了一系列可在水中降解的聚合物。该方法除了使用易于获得的单体外，还在与工业相关的温度（约100°C）下进行，耗时数十分钟甚至几分钟，并使用常见的酸作为催化剂。有趣的是，这类聚合物具有可调节的AB/ABB型重复单元，分别被认为是热力学和动力学产物，从而导致低碳含量（[O]：[C]高达1：1）。值得注意的是，由于引入了羧基端基和酸响应性缩醛单元，这些聚合物在室温下于水中150天内可完全降解为有价值的二酸。通过用碳酸钠水溶液洗涤，这些聚合物在几个月内相对稳定。
