Jones Glen R, Whitfield Richard, Wang Hyun Suk, De Alwis Watuthanthrige Nethmi, Antonopoulou Maria-Nefeli, Lohmann Victoria, Anastasaki Athina
Laboratory for Polymeric Materials, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
Macromolecules. 2025 Feb 18;58(5):2210-2223. doi: 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c02690. eCollection 2025 Mar 11.
Polymeric materials have become indispensable due to their versatility and low cost, yet their environmental impact presents a significant global challenge. Traditional chemical recycling methods typically rely on heat as a stimulus; for instance, pyrolysis is a popular chemical recycling methodology which faces limitations due to high energy consumption, low product selectivity, and the generation of undesirable byproducts. In response, recent advances in the promotion of depolymerization and degradation through alternative stimuli such as light, electrochemistry, and mechanical force, have shown promising potential for more efficient and selective polymer breakdown, yielding either the starting monomers or valuable small molecules. This perspective explores key examples of these emerging strategies, highlighting their potential to improve upon current protocols and offer alternative pathways under milder conditions, while identifying significant challenges that future research must address to translate promising chemistry into viable and broadly applicable recycling strategies.
聚合物材料因其多功能性和低成本而变得不可或缺，但其对环境的影响给全球带来了重大挑战。传统的化学回收方法通常依赖热量作为刺激因素；例如，热解是一种常见的化学回收方法，但由于能耗高、产品选择性低以及产生不良副产物而面临局限性。作为回应，最近通过光、电化学和机械力等替代刺激来促进解聚和降解的进展，已显示出在更高效、更有选择性地分解聚合物方面具有广阔潜力，可产生起始单体或有价值的小分子。本文探讨了这些新兴策略的关键实例，强调了它们改进现有方案并在更温和条件下提供替代途径的潜力，同时指出了未来研究为将有前景的化学转化为可行且广泛适用的回收策略而必须应对的重大挑战。
