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Photocatalytic-Driven Self-Degradation of Polyester Microplastics Under Solar Light
Summary
"Researchers synthesized a polyester fiber modified with a g-C3N4/TiO2 photocatalyst that can self-degrade under solar illumination, achieving near-complete breakdown into CO2 and water after 400 hours of light exposure. Designing plastics that decompose under sunlight rather than fragmenting into persistent microplastics offers a proactive materials-level strategy to reduce the volume of synthetic polymer pollution entering ecosystems."
Plastic wastes threaten the environment security. Degradable materials were considered as the most promising way to solve the problem of plastic pollution. In this work, the cationic dyeable polyester modified with photocatalyst g-C3N4/TiO2 was synthesized by centrifugal electrospinning, which had a photodegradable function under solar illumination. The result indicated that cationic dyeable polyester modified with 5% g-C3N4/TiO2 composite had excellent self-degradation ability in water environment under solar illumination. After 400 h illumination, the polyester matrix could be almost completely degraded. In addition, degradation products and degradation pathway were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The chain scission of polyester macromolecule led to the generation of formic acid, sodium sulfate, and short chain substances, and then they were degraded into CO2 and H2O. The degradation of the macromolecular chain was from large to small, from small to without. The design of the degradable polyester material was conducive to reducing the generation of polyester micro plastic pollutants.