DISCOSH · The Impact of Polymer Dispersity and Monomer Sequence on Self-healing and Photodegradation of Dynamically Crosslinked Polymers
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2022-01-15 → 2024-01-14
- EU contribution
- €191,149
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
The Impact of Polymer Dispersity and Monomer Sequence on Self-healing and Photodegradation of Dynamically Crosslinked Polymers
The demand for plastic continues to surge in society, contributing to a pressing environmental issue. The disposal of polymers and plastics poses a substantial challenge as they exhibit persistent characteristics in the environment, lasting for years. Recognizing the escalating threat of pollution due to prolonged polymer persistence, there has been a increased focus on exploring degradation methods. Traditionally, the degradation of polymers often results in the formation of smaller fragments that still find their way into soil, water, or air. In our project, we took a progressive approach to minimize the persistence of polymers in the environment by employing depolymerization methods. This innovative technique allows us to break down long-chain polymers into their original monomer units, presenting an opportunity to recycle and create new polymer materials from existing ones. By moving beyond conventional degradation methods, we aim to contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to managing polymer waste. The reproduced monomers can be effectively used in resynthesis of polymeric materials by reducing the waste. Controlled radical polymerization (CRP) is a polymerization technique that can yield well-defined polymers with predictable molecular weights, various architectures, and tunable molar mass distributions. Among the CRP strategies developed so far, reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) are considered the most versatile and widely utilized methods. Despite the numerous benefits of these techniques in polymer synthesis, studies on the depolymerization of these polymers are still in the preliminary stages. The project's primary objective was to tackle the existing challenge of depolymerizing polymers synthesized by the controlled radical polymerization (CRP) method at lower temperatures, while also addressing the issue of depolymerizing longer polymer chains.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Dynamically crosslinked polymer materials (DPMs) have tremendous potential in the development of the next generation of smart functional materials. The presence of dynamic or reversible bonds in the system allows DPMs to display a significant number of beneficial properties such as self-healing, (re)processability, and shape-memory which will enable an extended lifetime, with reduced replacement costs, and improved performance against mechanical challenges. Recently, substantial interest has been developed to improve the properties of DPMs through various dynamic chemistries and structural features of polymers. Similarly, dispersity, molecular weight distributions (MWDs), and monomer sequences play a vital role in governing material properties and functions. However, there is a requirement for a deeper understanding of how the dispersity, MWD, and monomer sequence impact the properties of DPMs. Project DISCOSH is anticipated to study the missing link between MW of dynamic polymers to their thermomechanical properties. The dispersities, MWDs, and monomer sequences of the underlying co-polymer will be tuned to understand the structure-property relationship of DPMs for their thermomechanical properties, self-healing behavior, and degradability of the DPMs. The multidisciplinary nature of the project involves merging one of the top ten emerging technologies in polymer chemistry (controlling polymer dispersity through living polymerization) with the advances in material properties. The fellow’s expertise in material synthesis, characterization techniques, and polymer degradation will be combined with the host’s advanced skills in the sequenced and dispersity controlled polymerization to obtain a deeper and essential understanding of the importance of the dispersity and sequence-controlled polymerization to achieve beneficial dynamic properties for next-generation materials.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICH · ZuerichCoordinatorSwitzerland
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union