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Related Concept Videos

Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters01:20

Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters

The introduction of polyesters has brought major development to the textile industry. The wrinkle-free behavior of polyester blends has eliminated the need for starching and ironing clothes.
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the polymer...
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Synthetic polymers are classified as elastomers, fibers, or plastics based on their crystallinity. Crystallinity, the degree of long-range order in the solid state, influences the mechanical properties (stretching or contracting) of elastomers. Elastomers are flexible polymers that can expand or contract easily upon the application of an external force. They have numerous crosslinks that pull them back into their original shape when stress is removed. Silicones, for instance, are highly elastic...
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Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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.
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Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)01:16

Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization or ROMP involves strained cycloalkenes as starting materials. The mechanism of ROMP proceeds by reacting cycloalkene with Grubbs catalyst to give metallacyclobutane intermediate which undergoes a ring-opening reaction to form new carbene. The new carbene reacts with another molecule of cycloalkene. Repetition of these steps leads to the formation of an unsaturated open-chain polymer product. All these steps are reversible, however, relieving the ring...
Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity01:26

Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity

Polymerization generates chiral centers along the entire backbone of a polymer chain. Accordingly, the stereochemistry of the substituent group has a significant effect on polymer properties. Polymers formed from monosubstituted alkene monomers feature chiral carbons at every alternate position in the polymer backbone. Relative to the predominant orientation of substituents at the adjacent chiral carbons, the polymer can exist in three different configurations: isotactic, syndiotactic, and...
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Depolymerizable Olefinic Polymers Based on Fused-Ring Cyclooctene Monomers
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Mechanically Robust and Depolymerizable Polyesters With Near-Complete Monomer Recovery for Circular Additive

Farzad Gholami1, Rampi Ramprasad1, H Jerry Qi1,2

  • 1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|July 9, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a novel recyclable polyester platform for 3D printing. The new polymers offer tunable properties and efficient chemical recycling, advancing sustainable polymer chemistry.

Keywords:
additive manufacturingdepolymerizationrecyclingring‐opening polymerizationδ‐lactone copolymers

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Sustainable Materials Science
  • Additive Manufacturing

Background:

  • Designing polymers with tunable architecture and full chemical recyclability is a key challenge in sustainable polymer chemistry.
  • Existing polyester materials often lack the necessary mechanical properties or recyclability for advanced applications like 3D printing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel polyester platform based on δ-lactones for additive manufacturing.
  • To achieve tunable macromolecular architecture, mechanical properties, and efficient chemical recyclability within a single polymer system.
  • To enable versatile 3D printing techniques including photopolymerization and fused filament fabrication.

Main Methods:

  • Controlled ring-opening polymerization of δ-dodecalactone (δ7) and δ-valerolactone (δ0) to create copolymers.
  • Segmental programming of lactone domains to control molecular architecture and mechanical response.
  • End-group functionalization to create photopolymerizable methacrylate and acrylate components.
  • Utilizing temperature-mediated control of segmental crystallinity for rheology tuning in additive manufacturing.
  • Employing sequential thermal-catalytic unzipping for monomer recovery and repolymerization.

Main Results:

  • Synthesized δ-lactone copolymers with significantly enhanced stiffness (2-3 orders of magnitude higher elastic modulus) suitable for 3D printing precursors.
  • Developed methacrylate- and acrylate-terminated polymers that undergo efficient photopolymerization without compromising backbone recyclability.
  • Achieved tunable rheology for direct ink writing and digital light processing through temperature-controlled crystallinity.
  • Demonstrated thermoplastic behavior for fused filament fabrication by increasing molecular weight.
  • Recovered δ7 and δ0 monomers with ~95% efficiency from both linear and crosslinked networks via thermal-catalytic unzipping, enabling repolymerization into virgin-quality materials.

Conclusions:

  • The developed δ-lactone copolymer platform offers a versatile and sustainable solution for additive manufacturing.
  • This approach successfully combines tunable mechanical properties, diverse 3D printing compatibility, and complete chemical recyclability.
  • The strategy eliminates the need for external monomers or permanent crosslinkers, ensuring material integrity and enabling closed-loop recycling.