Upcycling of Poly(ϵ-caprolactone) to Valuable Chemicals by TBD-Catalyzed Efficient Methanolysis Strategy
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Updated: Aug 31, 2025

Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
Published on: June 20, 2019
Bingzhe Dong1,2,3, Guangqiang Xu2,3, Rulin Yang2,3
1Sino Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
Abstract:
As a petroleum-derived polyester material, poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) plays an essential role in biomedical field due to its excellent biocompatibility and non-toxicity. With the increasing use of PCL in recent years, its waste disposal has become a significant challenge. To address this challenge, we demonstrate a high-efficiency organocatalysis strategy for the chemical upcycling of PCL to valuable chemical. Among organocatalysts explored in this article, 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4,4,0]dec-5-ene (TBD) shows superior performance for transforming end-of-life poly(ϵ-caprolactone) into highly value-added methyl 6-hydroxyhexanoate with quantitative conversion in a short time. The endwise unzipping depolymerization mechanism is corroborated by monitoring molecular weight during depolymerization process and 1 H NMR control experiments. Furthermore, this approach is also practicable for large-scale depolymerization for commercial PCL plastics, providing idea for promoting the sustainable development of PCL plastics.
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