Synthetic approaches involving cyclic acetal groups for the design of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers (microreview)

Sarmiento-Sánchez, Juan I.; Picos-Corrales, Lorenzo A.

doi:10.1007/s10593-018-2329-4

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…This could come in the form of superior material properties, lower costs, or an improved environmental impact. One common reversible reaction that has been used on occasion in polymer synthesis − but is perhaps still underexplored in responsive polymers is ketalization or acetalization . Often used as a protecting group for aldehydes and ketones in synthetic organic chemistry, a carbonyl can be converted into cyclic alkyl ethers, expelling water, and reversibly converted back to the carbonyl in the presence of acid or water (Figure ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fully Recyclable Polycarbonates from Simple, Bio-Derived Building Blocks

Roland

Moore

Leal

et al. 2021

ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.

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Plastic buildup and accumulation in the environment are an increasingly large problem facing civilization. Petroleum-based plastics can exist for hundreds to thousands of years in the environment, destroying habitats and polluting water. Environmentally conscious replacements for plastics are urgently needed. In this publication, we present a biobased alternative to petroleum-based polycarbonates. Using a diol monomer derived from glycerol and glycerol products, we have synthesized aliphatic polycarbonates with comparable physical properties to petroleum-based incumbents. The polymer can be quantitatively depolymerized using warm methanol to recover the monomer which can be repolymerized multiple times, or alternatively, the monomer, which is inherently nontoxic, can slowly break apart to the original components. This provides two end-of-life options for this material recycle or decomposition under environmental conditions to benign building blocks, thus providing a potential pathway to avoid environmental and bioaccumulation of plastics. We also demonstrate the ability to selectively recover the monomer from a simulated mixed-plastic waste environment; the monomer recovered this way functions identically to the virgin monomer after purification. This work represents an important step in the progress toward environmentally conscious polymer design with multiple end-of-life options.

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