Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 5, 2025
11:17
Synthesis of Programmable Main-chain Liquid-crystalline Elastomers Using a Two-stage Thiol-acrylate Reaction
Published on: January 19, 2016
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Modulating Polymerization Thermodynamics of Thiolactones Through Substituent and Heteroatom Incorporation
Kellie A Stellmach1, McKinley K Paul1, Mizhi Xu1
1School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
ACS Macro Letters
|July 5, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed new thiolactone monomers for sustainable materials. These polymers efficiently revert to monomers via chemical recycling, enabling easier material reuse and reduced waste.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Sustainable Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Developing sustainable materials is crucial for environmental protection.
- Chemical recycling to monomer (CRM) is a key strategy for polymer sustainability.
- Thiolactones show promise for efficient CRM due to rapid polymerization and depolymerization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the polymerization thermodynamics of various thiolactone monomers.
- To understand how structural modifications affect CRM efficiency.
- To identify thiolactone structures suitable for near-ambient temperature polymerization and low ceiling temperatures.
Main Methods:
- Systematic synthesis and characterization of thiolactone monomers with varied substitution patterns.
- Thermodynamic analysis of polymerization and depolymerization processes.
- Computational modeling to explore conformational effects on polymerization enthalpy.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that specific thiolactone structures enable high polymer conversion at near-ambient temperatures.
- Identified a highly negative enthalpy (-19.3 kJ/mol) and entropy (-58.4 J/(mol·K)) of polymerization.
- Computational studies revealed the critical role of monomer conformation in tuning polymerization thermodynamics.
- Achieved low ceiling temperatures (Tc), indicating temperature-sensitive equilibrium.
Conclusions:
- Thiolactone monomers can be designed for efficient chemical recycling to monomer (CRM).
- Structural and conformational control is key to achieving favorable polymerization thermodynamics for sustainable polymers.
- These findings pave the way for developing advanced recyclable polymers with tunable properties.
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