We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Development of an Efficient Thionolactone for Radical Ring-Opening Polymerization by a Combined Theoretical/Experimental Approach
ClearMiniemulsion Radical Ring-Opening Polymerization (rROP) of Phenyl Thionophthalide for Degradable Polymer Particle Synthesis: Laplace Pressure Works Key Role for rROP
Researchers synthesized main-chain-degradable polymer nanoparticles via miniemulsion radical ring-opening polymerization using the thionolactone monomer 3-phenylthionophthalide, achieving colloidally stable particles with high monomer conversion and complete ring-opening. The approach demonstrates that Laplace pressure in miniemulsion droplets plays a key role in enabling rROP, opening a route to degradable polymer particles designed to minimize microplastic persistence.
Miniemulsion Ring-Opening Radical Polymerization with Dibenzo[c,e]oxepan-5-thione for Degradable Polymer Particles
Researchers developed a new technique to synthesize degradable polymer particles using a process called radical ring-opening polymerization in a miniemulsion system, incorporating a ring-opening monomer that introduces ester-thioester bonds into the polymer backbone. The resulting particles broke down when exposed to amine compounds, unlike conventional plastic particles that persist in the environment. This approach offers a potential path toward designing plastic materials that can degrade after use, reducing the generation of persistent microplastics from industrial and consumer products.
Current Standing on Radical Ring‐Opening Polymerizations of Cyclic Ketene Acetals as Homopolymers and Copolymers with one another
This review covers recent advances in radical ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ketene acetals, a technique for producing degradable polymers with ester bonds in their backbones that can break down more readily than conventional vinyl polymers.
An orthogonal O,S-CKA monomer for the introduction of thioester and/or thionoester functionalities by radical polymerization
Researchers developed an orthogonal O,S-CKA monomer that introduces thioester linkages into free-radical polymerization-produced polymer backbones, enabling the production of (bio)degradable polymers through a controlled chemical mechanism.
Advances in the Modeling of Synthesis, Design and Properties of Polymers
This computational chemistry dissertation used atomistic simulations to study the synthesis and properties of emerging polymer materials. Computational approaches to polymer design could accelerate development of biodegradable plastics that break down quickly rather than persisting as microplastics.
Selective photodegradation of ketone-based polymers
Researchers developed poly(enone sulfides) via organocatalyzed thiol-yne step-growth polymerisation, designing polymers that undergo highly selective photodegradation into non-cytotoxic diketone and disulfide products rather than producing microplastic fragments through uncontrolled Norrish pathways. Computational modelling and model substrate reactions revealed the molecular features enabling the selective radical and reactive oxygen species degradation pathway.
From Thioether to Sulfone: Transforming Polyester Properties for Enhanced Degradation
Researchers modified polyester chemistry by converting thioether groups to sulfone groups, finding that this transformation significantly altered polymer degradability and mechanical properties, offering a route to designing plastics with enhanced end-of-life breakdown.
Competition between Hydrolysis and Radical Ring-Opening Polymerization of MDO in Water. Who Makes the Race?
This study investigated the competition between hydrolysis and radical ring-opening polymerization of a cyclic ketene acetal monomer in water, examining the feasibility of introducing degradable ester units into vinyl polymer backbones as a strategy to produce microplastic-reducing degradable polymers.
Supercritical RROP: Exploring the radical ring-opening polymerisation of 2-methylene-1,3,6-trioxocane in supercritical CO2 as a green solvent
Researchers explored a green method for synthesizing biodegradable polyesters by performing radical ring-opening polymerisation of a cyclic monomer in supercritical CO2 to avoid hydrolysis problems. Varying temperature and pressure produced polymers with tunable branch density and molecular mass in a slurry-like precipitation process.
Influence of γ-Irradiation on the Electronic Structure and the Chemical and Mechanical Properties of Poly(hydroxybutyrate-valerate)/Poly(caprolactone) Blends: Insights from Experimental Data and Computational Approaches
Researchers investigated how gamma irradiation affects biodegradable polymer blends of PHBV and PCL — materials sometimes proposed as safer plastic alternatives. The study found that higher radiation doses altered the chemical bonds and reduced mechanical performance, providing useful information for designing biodegradable plastics intended for applications where radiation sterilization is used, such as medical devices.
Environment-friendly transesterification to seawater-degradable polymers expanded: Computational construction guide to breaking points
Researchers used computational modeling to design a guide for identifying hydrolysis-susceptible 'breaking points' in polyester structures, expanding the toolkit for creating seawater-degradable polymers through environment-friendly transesterification as an alternative to conventional non-biodegradable marine plastics.
First‐principles based theoretical investigation of impact of polyolefin structure on photooxidation behavior
Quantum chemical calculations were used to model the photooxidation mechanisms of polyolefins including polyethylene and polypropylene, identifying bond dissociation energies and reactive oxygen species pathways that govern degradation rate and the types of oxidation products formed, providing a theoretical basis for predicting plastic environmental persistence.
Catalytic Ring-Opening Polymerisation of Cyclic Ethylene Carbonate: Importance of Elementary Steps for Determining Polymer Properties Revealed via DFT-MTD Simulations Validated Using Kinetic Measurements
This chemistry study used computer simulations to understand the mechanism of ring-opening polymerization for making CO2-containing polymers. This is a polymer synthesis chemistry study; while it involves plastics chemistry, it has no direct connection to environmental microplastics.
Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) Networks with Dynamic Covalent Bonds: Synthesis and Characterization
Researchers synthesized a biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) network with dynamic chemical bonds that degrade under environmental conditions, making it a candidate to replace microplastic-generating polyolefins in packaging and agriculture. The study characterizes its thermal and mechanical properties for practical applications.
Circularity in polymers: addressing performance and sustainability challenges using dynamic covalent chemistries
Researchers reviewed how dynamic covalent chemistry can be applied to polymeric materials to enable closed-loop recyclability, addressing the waste accumulation caused by current plastics. The study examines how reversible chemical bonds can be tailored for specific reprocessing conditions and evaluates the potential economic and environmental impacts of these recyclable polymer systems.
Polymer Degradation Mechanisms and Emerging Strategies for Sustainable Plastics
Plastic waste is one of the defining environmental challenges of our era, and this review surveys the full spectrum of emerging strategies for making plastics degrade more cleanly—from mechanically triggered breakdown using force-sensitive molecules, to metal-catalyzed depolymerization that recovers reusable monomers, to photochemical and hydrolytic approaches that work under mild conditions. Unlike current plastics that fragment into persistent microplastics, next-generation degradable polymers are being designed with built-in chemical triggers that enable controlled, complete breakdown. These innovations could eventually close the loop on plastic waste, though scaling them from laboratory to industrial application remains a major challenge.
Fluoride recovery in degradable fluorinated polyesters
Researchers synthesized a new class of degradable fluorinated polyesters by copolymerizing tetrafluorophthalic anhydride with propylene oxide or trifluoropropylene oxide, achieving up to 20 times faster degradation than non-fluorinated equivalents. The materials also allow fluoride recovery, offering potential for more sustainable use of fluorinated polymers.
RNA-inspired intramolecular transesterification accelerates the hydrolysis of polyethylene-like polyphosphoesters
Researchers synthesized new biodegradable plastic alternatives inspired by RNA chemistry, creating polyethylene-like materials that degrade much faster through a self-accelerating hydrolysis reaction. Developing truly degradable replacements for conventional polyethylene could help reduce long-lived microplastic accumulation in the environment.
Chemical-Physical Characterization of Bio-Based Biodegradable Plastics in View of Identifying Suitable Recycling/Recovery Strategies and Numerical Modeling of PLA Pyrolysis
Researchers characterized several bio-based and biodegradable polymer alternatives to conventional plastics using chemical-physical methods, assessing their suitability for industrial composting and identifying challenges in managing these bioplastics in the existing waste stream.
Biodegradable Polyhydroxyalkanoates with a Different Set of Valerate Monomers: Chemical Structure and Physicochemical Properties
This materials science study synthesised novel biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) copolymers containing unusual valerate monomers to explore whether their thermal and crystallisation properties could be tuned to outperform conventional bioplastics. The new terpolymers showed improved thermal stability and lower crystallinity compared to standard PHA copolymers. Research into genuinely biodegradable plastics is directly relevant to microplastics because materials that fully break down in the environment would not accumulate as persistent micro- and nanoparticles.
Functionalized Biodegradable Polymers via Termination of Ring-Opening Polymerization by Acyl Chlorides
This study developed methods for adding specific chemical groups to the ends of biodegradable polyester chains, enabling them to bond with biomedically useful molecules. Better-controlled biodegradable polymers could replace non-degradable plastics in medical applications and reduce long-term microplastic contamination from medical materials.
Unlocking the potential of furan-based poly(ester amide)s: an investigation of crystallization, molecular dynamics and degradation kinetics of novel poly(ester amide)s based on renewable poly(propylene furanoate)
Researchers synthesised novel furan-based poly(ester amide)s by incorporating a preformed amido diol into poly(propylene furanoate) via melt polycondensation, investigating the chemical structure, thermal properties, and material behaviour of these renewable bioplastic candidates.
Recent Advances in Radical Polymerization: Strategies for Synthesizing Vinyl Polymers with Decomposition Functions
This review examines recent advances in radical polymerisation strategies for synthesising vinyl polymers, framing progress in the context of the approaching Sustainable Development Goals deadline and evaluating how innovations in controlled radical polymerisation can contribute to more sustainable polymer production and reduced plastic waste.
Interfacial Photocycloaddition Polymerization: Synthetic Approach of Structurally Functionalized Degradable Polymer Particles from Naturally-derived Monomers
Researchers developed degradable polymer capsules from naturally derived monomers via interfacial photocycloaddition polymerization in aqueous heterogeneous systems, requiring no initiators or catalysts, with particles designed to degrade by photolysis and hydrolysis as a marine microplastic-free alternative to non-degradable synthetic capsules used in cosmetics and agrochemicals.