Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)

Issue: 40

License: [{"start"=>{"date-parts"=>[[2022, 9, 28]], "date-time"=>"2022-09-28T00:00:00Z", "timestamp"=>1664323200000}, "content-version"=>"vor", "delay-in-days"=>0, "URL"=>"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"}]

Publication date(s): 2022/10/12 (print) 2022/09/28 (online)

Pages: 18444-18449

Volume: 144 Issue: 40

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

Link: [{"URL"=>"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jacs.2c06937", "content-type"=>"application/pdf", "content-version"=>"vor", "intended-application"=>"unspecified"}, {"URL"=>"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jacs.2c06937", "content-type"=>"unspecified", "content-version"=>"vor", "intended-application"=>"similarity-checking"}]

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c06937

Polymer chemical recycling to monomers (CRM) could help improve polymer sustainability, but its implementation requires much better understanding of depolymerization catalysis, ensuring high rates and selectivity. Here, a heterodinuclear [Mg(II)Co(II)] catalyst is applied for CRM of aliphatic polycarbonates, including poly(cyclohexene carbonate) (PCHC), to epoxides and carbon dioxide using solid-state conditions, in contrast with many other CRM strategies that rely on high dilution. The depolymerizations are performed in the solid state giving very high activity and selectivity (PCHC, TOF = 25700 h–1, CHO selectivity >99 %, 0.02 mol %, 140 °C). Reactions may also be performed in air without impacting on the rate or selectivity of epoxide formation. The depolymerization can be performed on a 2 g scale to isolate the epoxides in up to 95 % yield with >99 % selectivity. In addition, the catalyst can be re-used four times without compromising its productivity or selectivity.