1
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Shi C, Quinn EC, Diment WT, Chen EYX. Recyclable and (Bio)degradable Polyesters in a Circular Plastics Economy. Chem Rev 2024; 124:4393-4478. [PMID: 38518259 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changxia Shi
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Ethan C Quinn
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Wilfred T Diment
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Eugene Y-X Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
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2
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Chellali JE, Woodside AJ, Yu Z, Neogi S, Külaots I, Guduru PR, Robinson JR. Access to Stereoblock Polyesters via Irreversible Chain-Transfer Ring-Opening Polymerization (ICT-ROP). J Am Chem Soc 2024. [PMID: 38593434 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c02976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Precise control over polymer microstructure can enable the molecular tunability of material properties and represents a significant challenge in polymer chemistry. Stereoblock copolymers are some of the simplest stereosequenced polymers, yet the synthesis of stereoblock polyesters from prochiral or racemic monomers outside of "simple" isotactic stereoblocks remains limited. Herein, we report the development of irreversible chain-transfer ring-opening polymerization (ICT-ROP), which overcomes the fundamental limitations of single catalyst approaches by using transmetalation (e.g., alkoxide-chloride exchange) between two catalysts with distinct stereoselectivities as a means to embed temporally controlled multicatalysis in ROP. Our combined small-molecule model and catalytic polymerization studies lay out a clear molecular basis for ICT-ROP and are exploited to access the first examples of atactic-syndiotactic stereoblock (at-sb-st) polyesters, at-sb-st polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). We achieve high levels of control over molecular weight, tacticity, monomer composition, and block structures in a temporally controlled manner and demonstrate that stereosequence control leads to polymer tensile properties that are independent of thermal properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan E Chellali
- Department of Chemistry, Brown University, 324 Brook St., Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Audra J Woodside
- Department of Chemistry, Brown University, 324 Brook St., Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Ziyan Yu
- Department of Chemistry, Brown University, 324 Brook St., Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Srijan Neogi
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Indrek Külaots
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Pradeep R Guduru
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Jerome R Robinson
- Department of Chemistry, Brown University, 324 Brook St., Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
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3
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Yang H, Xu G, Li J, Wang L, Yu K, Yan J, Zhang S, Zhou H. Fabrication of bio-based biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) composite foams for highly efficient oil-water separation. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 257:128750. [PMID: 38101682 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The open-cell bio-based biodegradable polymer foams show good application prospect in dealing with the serious environmental issue caused by oil spill and organic solvents spills, while the cell structures and hydrophobic properties of the foams limit their performance. In this work, the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) was selected to help prepare bio-based biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) foams. Based on a two-step foaming method, the crystallization ability of different samples was regulated by the "original crystals" together with PHBV in the foaming process, where skeleton structures were provided to facilitate the open-cell structures and promote their mechanical property. As illustrated, PHBV facilitated the formation of open-cell PLA foams, where the foams displayed superior oil-water separation capacity. The maximum volume expansion ratio of the foams was 80.08, the contact angle of deionized water reached to 134.5°, the adsorption capacity for oil or organic solvents was 10.8 g/g-51.8 g/g, and the adsorption capacity for CCl4 can still maintained 83.5 % of the initial value after 10 adsorption-desorption cycles. This work not only clarified the foaming mechanism of open-cell foams, but also provided a green and simple method for preparing bio-based biodegradable foams possessing excellent oil-water separation performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailong Yang
- College of Science & Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Huanghua, Hebei 061100, People's Republic of China
| | - Guohe Xu
- College of Science & Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Huanghua, Hebei 061100, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiantong Li
- College of Science & Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Huanghua, Hebei 061100, People's Republic of China
| | - Linyan Wang
- College of Science & Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Huanghua, Hebei 061100, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kesong Yu
- School of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450002, People's Republic of China
| | - Jundian Yan
- College of Science & Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Huanghua, Hebei 061100, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuo Zhang
- College of Science & Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Huanghua, Hebei 061100, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongfu Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Processing and Application of Polymeric Foams of China National Light Industry Council, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, People's Republic of China.
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4
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Martinaud E, Hierro-Iglesias C, Hammerton J, Hadad B, Evans R, Sacharczuk J, Lester D, Derry MJ, Topham PD, Fernandez-Castane A. Valorising Cassava Peel Waste Into Plasticized Polyhydroxyalkanoates Blended with Polycaprolactone with Controllable Thermal and Mechanical Properties. JOURNAL OF POLYMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2024; 32:3503-3515. [PMID: 39161457 PMCID: PMC11330390 DOI: 10.1007/s10924-023-03167-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Approximately 99% of plastics produced worldwide were produced by the petrochemical industry in 2019 and it is predicted that plastic consumption may double between 2023 and 2050. The use of biodegradable bioplastics represents an alternative solution to petroleum-based plastics. However, the production cost of biopolymers hinders their real-world use. The use of waste biomass as a primary carbon source for biopolymers may enable a cost-effective production of bioplastics whilst providing a solution to waste management towards a carbon-neutral and circular plastics economy. Here, we report for the first time the production of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) with a controlled molar ratio of 2:1 3-hydroxybutyrate:3-hydroxvalerate (3HB:3HV) through an integrated pre-treatment and fermentation process followed by alkaline digestion of cassava peel waste, a renewable low-cost substrate, through Cupriavidus necator biotransformation. PHBV was subsequently melt blended with a biodegradable polymer, polycaprolactone (PCL), whereby the 30:70 (mol%) PHBV:PCL blend exhibited an excellent balance of mechanical properties and higher degradation temperatures than PHBV alone, thus providing enhanced stability and controllable properties. This work represents a potential environmental solution to waste management that can benefit cassava processing industries (or other crop processing industries) whilst developing new bioplastic materials that can be applied, for example, to packaging and biomedical engineering. Graphical Abstract Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10924-023-03167-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Martinaud
- École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie, de Biologie et de Physique, Polytechnic Institute of Bordeaux, 33607 Pessac Cedex, France
- Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
- Aston Advanced Materials Research Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
| | | | - James Hammerton
- Aston Advanced Materials Research Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
| | - Bawan Hadad
- Aston Advanced Materials Research Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
| | - Rob Evans
- Aston Advanced Materials Research Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
| | - Jakub Sacharczuk
- Aston Advanced Materials Research Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
| | - Daniel Lester
- Polymer Characterisation Research Technology Platform, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL UK
| | - Matthew J. Derry
- Aston Advanced Materials Research Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
| | - Paul D. Topham
- Aston Advanced Materials Research Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
| | - Alfred Fernandez-Castane
- Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
- Aston Advanced Materials Research Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
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5
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Zhou Z, LaPointe AM, Coates GW. Atactic, Isotactic, and Syndiotactic Methylated Polyhydroxybutyrates: An Unexpected Series of Isomorphic Polymers. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:25983-25988. [PMID: 37976254 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c10944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), such as poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrates] [(R)-P3HB], are produced by bacteria and are promising alternatives to nondegradable polyolefin plastics, but their semicrystallinity and high melting points are only maintained at high tacticity, which are commonly seen in other semicrystalline polymers like isotactic polypropylene (iPP). We herein report a class of synthetic PHAs, cis-poly(3-hydroxy-2-methylbutyrate)s (cis-PHMBs), that exhibit tacticity-independent semicrystallinity. The syndiotactic, isotactic, and even atactic PHMBs all share high melting points (Tm > 170 °C) and nearly identical crystal structures. The isomorphism of these polymers across three different tacticities has allowed access to iPP-like, high-performance PHMB without the requirement of high tacticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyao Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, United States
| | - Anne M LaPointe
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, United States
| | - Geoffrey W Coates
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, United States
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6
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Zhang Z, Quinn EC, Olmedo-Martínez JL, Caputo MR, Franklin KA, Müller AJ, Chen EYX. Toughening Brittle Bio-P3HB with Synthetic P3HB of Engineered Stereomicrostructures. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202311264. [PMID: 37878997 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202311264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB), a biologically produced, biodegradable natural polyester, exhibits excellent thermal and barrier properties but suffers from mechanical brittleness, largely limiting its applications. Here we report a mono-material product design strategy to toughen stereoperfect, brittle bio or synthetic P3HB by blending it with stereomicrostructurally engineered P3HB. Through tacticity ([mm] from 0 to 100 %) and molecular weight (Mn to 788 kDa) tuning, high-performance synthetic P3HB materials with tensile strength to ≈30 MPa, fracture strain to ≈800 %, and toughness to 126 MJ m-3 (>110× tougher than bio-P3HB) have been produced. Physical blending of the brittle P3HB with such P3HB in 10 to 90 wt % dramatically enhances its ductility from ≈5 % to 95-450 % and optical clarity from 19 % to 85 % visible light transmittance while maintaining desirably high elastic modulus (>1 GPa), tensile strength (>35 MPa), and melting temperature (160-170 °C). This P3HB-toughening-P3HB methodology departs from the traditional approach of incorporating chemically distinct components to toughen P3HB, which hinders chemical or mechanical recycling, highlighting the potential of the mono-material product design solely based on biodegradable P3HB to deliver P3HB materials with diverse performance properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1872, USA
| | - Ethan C Quinn
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1872, USA
| | - Jorge L Olmedo-Martínez
- POLYMAT and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal 3, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Maria Rosaria Caputo
- POLYMAT and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal 3, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Kevin A Franklin
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1872, USA
| | - Alejandro J Müller
- POLYMAT and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal 3, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Eugene Y-X Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1872, USA
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7
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Caputo M, Shi C, Tang X, Sardon H, Chen EYX, Müller AJ. Tailoring the Nucleation and Crystallization Rate of Polyhydroxybutyrate by Copolymerization. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:5328-5341. [PMID: 37782027 PMCID: PMC10646943 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
In the polyester family, the biopolymer with the greatest industrial potential could be poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), which can be produced nowadays biologically or chemically. The scarce commercial use of PHB derives from its poor mechanical properties, which can be improved by incorporating a flexible aliphatic polyester with good mechanical performance, such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), while retaining its biodegradability. This work studies the structural, thermal, and morphological properties of block and random copolymers of PHB and PCL. The presence of a comonomer influences the thermal parameters following nonisothermal crystallization and the kinetics of isothermal crystallization. Specifically, the copolymers exhibit lower melting and crystallization temperatures and present lower overall crystallization kinetics than neat homopolymers. The nucleation rates of the PHB components are greatly enhanced in the copolymers, reducing spherulitic sizes and promoting transparency with respect to neat PHB. However, their spherulitic growth rates are depressed so much that superstructural growth becomes the dominating factor that reduces the overall crystallization kinetics of the PHB component in the copolymers. The block and random copolymers analyzed here also display important differences in the structure, morphology, and crystallization that were examined in detail. Our results show that copolymerization can tailor the thermal properties, morphology (spherulitic size), and crystallization kinetics of PHB, potentially improving the processing, optical, and mechanical properties of PHB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria
Rosaria Caputo
- POLYMAT
and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry
and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University
of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Changxia Shi
- Department
of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United
States
| | - Xiaoyan Tang
- Department
of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United
States
| | - Haritz Sardon
- POLYMAT
and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry
and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University
of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Eugene Y.-X. Chen
- Department
of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United
States
| | - Alejandro J. Müller
- POLYMAT
and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry
and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University
of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- IKERBASQUE,
Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
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8
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Xie X, Huo Z, Jang E, Tong R. Recent advances in enantioselective ring-opening polymerization and copolymerization. Commun Chem 2023; 6:202. [PMID: 37775528 PMCID: PMC10541874 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-023-01007-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Precisely controlling macromolecular stereochemistry and sequences is a powerful strategy for manipulating polymer properties. Controlled synthetic routes to prepare degradable polyester, polycarbonate, and polyether are of recent interest due to the need for sustainable materials as alternatives to petrochemical-based polyolefins. Enantioselective ring-opening polymerization and ring-opening copolymerization of racemic monomers offer access to stereoregular polymers, specifically enantiopure polymers that form stereocomplexes with improved physicochemical and mechanical properties. Here, we highlight the state-of-the-art of this polymerization chemistry that can produce microstructure-defined polymers. In particular, the structures and performances of various homogeneous enantioselective catalysts are presented. Trends and future challenges of such chemistry are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Xie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 635 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, USA
| | - Ziyu Huo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 635 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, USA
| | - Eungyo Jang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 635 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, USA
| | - Rong Tong
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 635 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, USA.
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9
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Westlie AH, Hesse SA, Tang X, Quinn EC, Parker CR, Takacs CJ, Tassone CJ, Chen EYX. All-Polyhydroxyalkanoate Triblock Copolymers via a Stereoselective-Chemocatalytic Route. ACS Macro Lett 2023; 12:619-625. [PMID: 37094112 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.3c00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) homopolymers and statistical copolymers are ubiquitous in microbially produced PHAs, but the step-growth polycondensation mechanism the biosynthesis operates on presents a challenge to access well-defined block copolymers (BCPs), especially higher-order tri-BCP PHAs. Here we report a stereoselective-chemocatalytic route to produce discrete hard-soft-hard ABA all-PHA tri-BCPs based on the living chain-growth ring-opening polymerization of racemic (rac) 8-membered diolides (rac-8DLR; R denotes the two substituents on the ring). Depending on the composition of the soft B block, originated from rac-8DLR (R = Et, nBu), and its ratio to the semicrystalline, high-melting hard A block, derived from rac-8DLMe, the resulting all-PHA tri-BCPs with high molar mass (Mn up to 238 kg mol-1) and low dispersity (Đ = 1.07) exhibit tunable mechanical properties characteristic of a strong and tough thermoplastic, elastomer, or a semicrystalline thermoplastic elastomer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea H Westlie
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United States
| | - Sarah A Hesse
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Xiaoyan Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United States
| | - Ethan C Quinn
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United States
| | - Celine R Parker
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United States
| | - Christopher J Takacs
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Christopher J Tassone
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Eugene Y-X Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1872, United States
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