Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026
08:12
Depolymerizable Olefinic Polymers Based on Fused-Ring Cyclooctene Monomers
Published on: December 16, 2022
CO2-Derived Degradable Polythioester Adhesives From Proton-Trap-Assisted S/O Isomerization-Driven Cationic
Zong-Bin Lu1,2, Yu Xiong2, Guang Chen2
1Center For Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|June 13, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed new degradable pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) from carbon dioxide (CO2). These sustainable PSAs offer high adhesion, optical clarity, and complete degradation, advancing circular polymer design.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Sustainable Chemistry
Background:
- Degradable pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are crucial for recycling adhesive-containing materials.
- Existing degradable PSAs face limitations in adhesion strength, feedstock origin, and degradation completeness.
- Novel polymerization strategies and material designs are needed to overcome these challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop high-performance, degradable PSAs from sustainable feedstocks.
- To synthesize CO2-based polythioesters with tunable properties.
- To establish a practical example of polythioester-based PSAs for circular economy applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized proton-trap-assisted S/O isomerization-driven cationic ring-opening polymerization.
- Employed CO2-derived thionolactone (3,6-diethyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-thione) as a monomer.
- Characterized the synthesized (co)polythioesters for adhesion, optical clarity, and degradation behavior.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized high-molecular-weight CO2-based (co)polythioesters.
- Achieved high and tunable peel strength (up to 16.43 N/cm).
- Demonstrated excellent optical clarity (>96% transmittance) and complete degradation under mild conditions.
Conclusions:
- Developed the first practical polythioester-based PSAs.
- Established a sustainable platform for PSA design integrating performance and recyclability.
- Advanced the use of CO2-derived materials and circular polymer design principles.
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