Chemically Recyclable Alternating Poly(thioether-alt-ester)s with Tunable Properties Enabled by Substitution Effects...

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

• Developing polymers with both depolymerizability and high performance is crucial for sustainability.
• Existing polymers often present trade-offs between recyclability and material properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel poly(ether-ester)s with alternating ether and ester groups.
• To create chemically recyclable polymers with tunable thermal and mechanical properties.
• To establish structure-property relationships for advanced material design.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of enantiopure cyclic thioether-ester monomers via a "polycondensation-depolymerization" strategy.
• Controlled ring-opening polymerization to yield stereoregular poly(thioether-alt-ester)s.
• Synthesis of triblock thermoplastic elastomers using sequential polymerization.

Main Results:

• Achieved structural diversity in poly(thioether-alt-ester)s through varied substituents and stereochemistry.
• Demonstrated wide-range modulation of thermal and mechanical properties via substituent effects and stereocomplexation.
• Successfully fabricated high-performance triblock thermoplastic elastomers with excellent elastic recovery.
• Confirmed efficient chemical recyclability through ring-closing depolymerization or alcoholysis, with high monomer regeneration.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a molecular blueprint for designing high-performance, chemically recyclable polymers.
• Systematic investigation of substitution effects and structure-property relationships enables tailored polymer design.
• The developed poly(thioether-alt-ester)s represent a significant advancement in sustainable materials.