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Related Concept Videos

Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Acyclic Diene Metathesis (ADMET)00:53

Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Acyclic Diene Metathesis (ADMET)

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Acyclic diene metathesis polymerization or ADMET polymerization involves cross-metathesis of terminal dienes, such as 1,8-nonadiene, to give linear unsaturated polymer and ethylene. As ADMET is a reversible process, the formed ethylene gas must be removed from the reaction mixture to complete the polymerization process.
Similar to cross-metathesis, ADMET also involves the formation of metallacyclobutane intermediate by [2+2] cycloaddition of one of the double bonds of a terminal diene with...
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Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview01:13

Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview

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Recently, the development of olefin metathesis polymerization advanced the field of polymer synthesis. Simply put, the reorganization of substituents on their double bonds between two olefins in the presence of a catalyst is known as the olefin metathesis reaction. The use of metathesis reaction for polymer synthesis is called olefin metathesis polymerization.
Ruthenium-based Grubbs catalyst is the most commonly used catalyst for olefin metathesis polymerization. Grubbs catalyst consists...
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Hydrolysis01:15

Hydrolysis

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Overview
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which the addition of water breaks down a polymer into its simpler monomer units. For example, peptides break into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and DNA into nucleotides. Enzymes often facilitate these processes.
Hydrolysis Reverses Dehydration Synthesis
Complex carbohydrates can be broken down by breaking the bonds between individual sugar units. The reaction breaks a glycosidic bond as water is added to the compound. The...
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Free-Radical Chain Reaction and Polymerization of Alkenes02:35

Free-Radical Chain Reaction and Polymerization of Alkenes

8.5K
The conversion of alkenes to macromolecules called polymers is a reaction of high commercial importance. The structure of the polymer is defined by a repeating unit, while the terminal groups are considered insignificant. The average degree of polymerization represents the number of repeating units in the polymer molecule and is denoted by the subscript n.
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Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
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Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:17

Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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Ziegler–Natta polymerization is another form of addition or chain‐growth polymerization used for synthesizing linear polymers over branched polymers. The catalyst used for polymerization is the Ziegler–Natta catalyst, named after Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta, who developed it in 1953. This catalyst is an organometallic complex of titanium tetrachloride and triethyl aluminum, with the active form of the catalyst being an alkyl titanium compound. Using the Ziegler–Natta...
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Depolymerizable Olefinic Polymers Based on Fused-Ring Cyclooctene Monomers
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Depolymerizable Olefinic Polymers Based on Fused-Ring Cyclooctene Monomers

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Synergistic Enzyme Mixtures to Realize Near-Complete Depolymerization in Biodegradable Polymer/Additive Blends.

Christopher DelRe1,2, Boyce Chang1, Ivan Jayapurna1

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|October 8, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Adding specific additives to plastics alters their structure, hindering enzyme-driven degradation. Combining different enzymes, however, can overcome these changes for complete plastic depolymerization.

Keywords:
additive/polymer blendsenzyme mixtureshost polymer morphologiesnear-complete degradationsemicrystalline polyesters

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Biocatalysis

Background:

  • Embedded catalysts, particularly enzymes, can degrade polyesters through processive depolymerization.
  • Semicrystalline polymer morphology significantly influences degradation rates and pathways.
  • Most research focuses on pristine polymers, neglecting the impact of additives common in plastic production.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how additives affect the morphology of polycaprolactone (PCL) and subsequent enzyme-mediated degradation.
  • To explore strategies for achieving complete depolymerization in polymer/additive blends.
  • To understand the interplay between polymer morphology and embedded catalytic activity.

Main Methods:

  • Introduction of additives to modify the crystalline lamellae morphology of PCL.
  • Analysis of chain-end immobilization and accessibility within altered polymer morphologies.
  • Synergistic application of random chain scission and processive depolymerization enzymes.

Main Results:

  • Additives altered PCL morphology, immobilizing chain ends and reducing enzyme accessibility.
  • Polymer-to-monomer conversion decreased from >95% to <50%, forming crystalline plastic fragments and microplastics.
  • Combining random and processive depolymerization enzymes enabled near-complete degradation despite morphological changes.

Conclusions:

  • Polymer morphology, influenced by additives, critically impacts the efficiency of embedded enzyme degradation.
  • Strategic use of synergistic enzyme activities can overcome morphological barriers to complete plastic depolymerization.
  • Consideration of host polymer morphology is crucial for designing effective embedded catalytic systems.