Catalytic Amounts of an Antibacterial Monomer Enable the Upcycling of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Waste

Abstract

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is an important polymer with an annual output second only to polyethylene. The development of PET recycling technologies is therefore necessary to not only eliminate the harm associated with white pollution and microplastics, but also to reduce carbon emissions. Antibacterial PET, one of the most high‐value advanced materials, has improved the ability to treat bacterial infections. However, current methods of manufacturing commercial antibacterial PET require blending with an excess of metal‐based antibacterial agents, which leads to biotoxicity and a nonpersistent antibacterial activity. In addition, high‐efficiency organic antibacterial agents have yet to be employed in antibacterial PET due to their poor thermal stabilities. Herein, a solid‐state reaction for the upcycling of PET waste using a novel hyperthermostable antibacterial monomer is described. This reaction is catalyzed by the residual catalyst present in the PET waste. It is found that a catalytic amount of the antibacterial monomer enabled the low‐cost upcycling of PET waste to produce high‐value recycled PET with a strong and persistent antibacterial activity, as well as similar thermal properties to the virgin PET. This work provides a feasible and economic strategy for the large‐scale upcycling of PET waste and exhibits potential for application in the polymer industry.

Chemical recycling of post-consumer PET into high-performance polymer aerogels

“…Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the fourth largest produced polymer globally, with an annual output exceeding 70 million tons. [1][2][3][4] It is widely employed in the realms of packaging and textiles and celebrated for its superior mechanical strength and barrier capabilities. However, the increasing prevalence of PET has resulted in a substantial accumulation of PET waste, posing environmental risks and hastening the exhaustion of nonrenewable fossil resources.…”

Defect-rich Pd@PdOs nanobelts for electrocatalytic oxidation of ethylene glycol

“…12,13 In recent years, platinum (Pt) and Pt-based nanomaterials have been widely used in the research field of direct ethylene glycol fuel cells because of their excellent catalytic activity and stability. 14,15 However, their low abundance and poor toxicity resistance have always been the main factors restricting their production and application. [16][17][18] Consequently, the pursuit of Pt replacement electrocatalysts with substantially enhanced electrocatalytic activity has become a research focus in recent years.…”

Degradable Poly(butylene-co-divanillyl adipate) with Intrinsic Free Radical Scavenging and Antibacterial Performance

“…Meanwhile, the other commonly used method for the large-scale synthesis of the commercial bioactive polyester is the melt condensation polymerization of dicarboxylic acids and diols, which covalently bind organic antibacterial agents to the main chain of the polyester through co-condensation polymerization. This not only endows the polyester with persistent antibacterial effect, but also effectively reduces the biological toxicity provided by antibacterial agents, which is the development direction of antibacterial polyesters. − Zhang et al obtained the highly thermally stable antibacterial quaternary ammonium salt monomers ([Cn]­[SIPA]) by reacting sodium 5-sulfo isophthalate with methylimidazolium containing different lengths of alkyl chains, and then reacted them with PET waste to obtain high-value and heat-resistant antibacterial PET, achieving the upgrading and recycling of PET waste. The regenerated PET has thermal properties comparable to the original PET, and due to the addition of high-temperature-resistant antibacterial quaternary ammonium salt monomers, the regenerated PET has strong and long-lasting antibacterial activity.…”