Campbell Emma, Morton Katie S C, O'Malley Alexander J, Dann Sandie E, Moreau Pierre, Silverwood Ian P, Kondrat Simon A, Beale Andrew M, Potter Matthew E
School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK.
UK Catalysis Hub, Research Complex at Harwell (RCaH), Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0FA, UK.
Chem Commun (Camb). 2025 Apr 29;61(36):6603-6606. doi: 10.1039/d4cc06209d.
The degradation of polyethylene (LDPE) by H-ZSM-5 is investigated by vibrational spectroscopy, using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and inelastic neutron scattering (INS). DRIFTS results indicate initial interaction between LDPE and external silanol groups, and hydrogen bonding with some Brønsted acid sites. At low temperatures both techniques suggest minimal interactions between the LDPE and the internal acid site of the zeolite, suggesting initial interactions are primarily with the zeolite surface. At higher reaction temperatures, oligomerisation is observed on Brønsted acid sites.
