Abstract:Block‐copolymer self‐assembly has proven to be an effective route for the fabrication of photonic films and, more recently, photonic pigments. However, despite extensive research on this topic over the past two decades, the palette of monomers and polymers employed to produce such structurally colored materials has remained surprisingly limited. In this Scientific Perspective, the commonly used block‐copolymer systems reported in the literature are summarized (considering both linear and brush architectures) a… Show more
Due to a continued rise in the production and use of plastic products, their end‐of‐life pollution has become a pressing global issue. One of the biggest challenges in plastics recycling is the separation of different polymers. Multi‐block copolymers (MBCPs) represent an efficient strategy for the upcycling of mixed plastics via induced compatibilization, but this approach is limited by difficulties associated with synthesis and structural modification. In this contribution, several synthetic strategies are explored to prepare MBCPs with tunable microstructures, which were then used as com‐patibilizer additives to upcycle mixtures of polyolefins with other plastics. A multi‐block+ strategy based on a reactive telechelic block copolymer platform was introduced, which enabled block extension during the in situ melt blending of mixed plastics, leading to better compatibilizing properties as well as better 3D printing capability. This strategy was also applicable to more complex ternary plastic blends. The polymer multi‐block strategy enabled by versatile MBCPs synthesis and the multi‐block+ strategy enabled by in situ block extension show exciting opportunities for the upcycling of mixed plastics.
Block‐copolymer self‐assembly has proven to be an effective route for the fabrication of photonic films and, more recently, photonic pigments. However, despite extensive research on this topic over the past two decades, the palette of monomers and polymers employed to produce such structurally colored materials has remained surprisingly limited. In this Scientific Perspective, the commonly used block‐copolymer systems reported in the literature are summarized (considering both linear and brush architectures) and their use is rationalized from the point of view of both their historical development and physicochemical constraints. Finally, the current challenges facing the field are discussed and promising new areas of research are highlighted to inspire the community to pursue new directions.
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