Melt polycondensation ofL-lactic acid catalyzed by 1,3-dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids

Recyclable and (Bio)degradable Polyesters in a Circular Plastics Economy

Polyesters carrying polar main-chain ester linkages exhibit distinct material properties for diverse applications and thus play an important role in today's plastics economy. It is anticipated that they will play an even greater role in tomorrow's circular plastics economy that focuses on sustainability, thanks to the abundant availability of their biosourced building blocks and the presence of the main-chain ester bonds that can be chemically or biologically cleaved on demand by multiple methods and thus bring about more desired end-of-life plastic waste management options. Because of this potential and promise, there have been intense research activities directed at addressing recycling, upcycling or biodegradation of existing legacy polyesters, designing their biorenewable alternatives, and redesigning future polyesters with intrinsic chemical recyclability and tailored performance that can rival today's commodity plastics that are either petroleum based and/or hard to recycle. This review captures these exciting recent developments and outlines future challenges and opportunities. Case studies on the legacy polyesters, poly(lactic acid), poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s, poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(butylene succinate), and poly(butylene-adipate terephthalate), are presented, and emerging chemically recyclable polyesters are comprehensively reviewed.

Synthesis, structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of a series of novel low melting salts without alkyl groups

A series of 1-aminopyridinium base derivative ionic liquids without alkyl groups were synthesized. Hirshfeld surface analysis was used to understand the intricacies of interactions.

Synthesis of chlorostannate(ii) ionic liquids and their novel application in the preparation of high-qualityl-lactide

A highly efficient approach for the resynthesis ofl-lactideviathe prepolymer route using chlorostannate(ii) ionic liquids as catalysts has been established.

Structural Characterization of Novel Ionic Salts Incorporating Trihalide Anions

The crystal structures of several low-melting salts containing trihalide ions, namely 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tribromide ([C2mim][Br3]), 1-ethyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tribromide ([C2mpyr][Br3]), and 1-propyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium triiodide ([C3mpyr][I3]), are reported for the first time. Thermal analysis reveals that the tribromide salts are lower-melting than their monohalide analogues. Analysis of the crystal structures allows examination of the influence of the anions on the physical properties of the salts.