Zhang Sijing, Wang Jingxiang, Su Dewen, Xiao Xiao
Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry & Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 May 6;16(1):4188. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59540-5.
The escalating plastic waste crisis stems from limitations in conventional recycling methods, which are energy-intensive and produce lower-quality materials, leaving a substantial portion unrecycled. Here, we report a versatile organo-photocatalytic upcycling method employing an easily accessible phenothiazine derivative, PTH-3CN, to selectively deconstruct a wide array of commodity polymers-including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethanes (PU), polycarbonates (PC), and other vinyl polymers-into valuable small molecules with minimal catalyst loading (as low as 500 ppm). Operating under mild conditions with visible light and ambient air, this protocol requires no additional acids or metals and adapts effectively to mixed and post-consumer plastic waste. Mechanistic analysis reveals that PTH-3CN serves as a precatalyst, decomposing into active triarylamine species that drive efficient degradation likely through a consecutive photoinduced electron transfer mechanism. This approach offers a promising, scalable route for sustainable plastic upcycling with broad applicability.
不断升级的塑料垃圾危机源于传统回收方法的局限性，这些方法能源密集且生产出的材料质量较低，导致很大一部分塑料无法回收。在此，我们报告了一种通用的有机光催化升级循环方法，该方法采用易于获得的吩噻嗪衍生物PTH-3CN，以极低的催化剂负载量（低至500 ppm）选择性地解构多种商用聚合物，包括聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯（PET）、聚乙烯（PE）、聚丙烯（PP）、聚苯乙烯（PS）、聚氯乙烯（PVC）、聚氨酯（PU）、聚碳酸酯（PC）以及其他乙烯基聚合物，将其转化为有价值的小分子。该方案在可见光和环境空气的温和条件下运行，无需额外的酸或金属，并且能有效适应混合塑料和消费后塑料垃圾。机理分析表明，PTH-3CN作为一种前催化剂，分解为活性三芳基胺物种，可能通过连续的光诱导电子转移机制驱动高效降解。这种方法为可持续的塑料升级循环提供了一条有前景、可扩展且适用性广泛的途径。
