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Zinc complexes for PLA formation and chemical recycling: Towards a circular economy

McKeown, Paul, Román-Ramírez, Luis A., Bates, Samuel, Wood, Joseph and Jones, Matthew D. 2019. Zinc complexes for PLA formation and chemical recycling: Towards a circular economy. ChemSusChem 12 (24) , pp. 5233-5238. 10.1002/cssc.201902755

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Abstract

A series of ZnII complexes, based on propylenediamine Schiff bases, have been prepared and fully characterized. X‐ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy identified significant differences in the solid and solution state for the ZnII species. All complexes have been applied to the ring‐opening polymerization of l‐lactide with emphasis on industrial conditions. High conversion and good molecular weight control were generally achievable for Zn(A–D)2, and high‐molecular‐weight poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was prepared in 1 min at a 10 000:1:33 [lactide]/[Zn]/[BnOH] loading. The more active ZnII catalysts were also applied to PLA degradation to alkyl lactate under mild conditions. Zn(A–B)2 demonstrated high activity and selectivity in this process with PLA being consumed within 1 h at 50 °C. Zn(C–D)2 were shown to be less active, and these observations can be related to the catalysts’ structure and the degradation mechanism. Initial results for the degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and mixed feeds are also presented, highlighting the broader applicability of the systems presented.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Publication
Status: Published
Schools: Chemistry
Publisher: Wiley
ISSN: 1864-5631
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 14 January 2020
Date of Acceptance: 12 November 2019
Last Modified: 06 Jan 2024 20:56
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/128494

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