Issue 44, 2023

Stretchable, recyclable thermosets via photopolymerization and 3D printing of hemiacetal ester-based resins

Abstract

Achieving a circular plastics economy is one of our greatest environmental challenges, yet conventional mechanical recycling remains inadequate for thermoplastics and incompatible with thermosets. The next generation of plastic materials will be designed with the capacity for degradation and recycling at end-of-use. To address this opportunity in the burgeoning technologies of 3D printing and photolithography, we report a modular system for the production of degradable and recyclable thermosets via photopolymerization. The polyurethane backbone imparts robust, elastic, and tunable mechanical properties, while the use of hemiacetal ester linkages allows for facile degradation under mild acid. The synthetic design based on hemiacetal esters enables simple purification to regenerate a functional polyurethane diol.

Graphical abstract: Stretchable, recyclable thermosets via photopolymerization and 3D printing of hemiacetal ester-based resins

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
14 Jul 2023
Accepted
24 Okt 2023
First published
25 Okt 2023
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2023,14, 12535-12540

Stretchable, recyclable thermosets via photopolymerization and 3D printing of hemiacetal ester-based resins

Y. M. Wu, G. Chyr, H. Park, A. Makar-Limanov, Y. Shi, J. M. DeSimone and Z. Bao, Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 12535 DOI: 10.1039/D3SC03623E

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