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Schyns ZG, Bennett TM, Shaver MP. Recycled Plastic Content Quantified through Aggregation-Induced Emission. ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING 2022; 10:12659-12669. [PMID: 36189110 PMCID: PMC9516760 DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c03389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The linearity of the plastics economy is wasteful and polluting. To encourage recycling and decrease diversion to landfill, new legislation within the EU and UK will tax single-use plastic products made with less than 30% recycled plastic. At present, quantitative determination of recycled content is elusive and existing methods are inconsistent. We present a fluorescence-based analytical technique to determine recycled content in plastic and (single use) packaging. Bathochromic shifts resulting from aggregation of the fluorescent brightener 4,4'-bis(2-benzoxazolyl) stilbene (BBS) in three commodity plastics [high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and poly(ethylene terephthalate)] at loadings ≤0.5 wt % were used to systematically quantify simulated recycled contents as low as 10 wt %. Linear correlations were found between recycled content and three fluorescence-based properties: emission, lifetime, and resulting color. We demonstrate how this multi-branched verification system is completely independent of sample dimensions and processing conditions, has a negligible effect on polymer properties, and is inexpensive and highly compatible with existing recycling infrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoé
O. G. Schyns
- Department
of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9BL, U.K.
- Sustainable
Materials Innovation Hub, Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9BL, U.K.
| | - Thomas M. Bennett
- Department
of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9BL, U.K.
- Sustainable
Materials Innovation Hub, Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9BL, U.K.
| | - Michael P. Shaver
- Department
of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9BL, U.K.
- Sustainable
Materials Innovation Hub, Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9BL, U.K.
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Liu X, Liang X, Hu Y, Han L, Qu Q, Liu D, Guo J, Zeng Z, Bai H, Kwok RTK, Qin A, Lam JWY, Tang BZ. Catalyst-Free Spontaneous Polymerization with 100% Atom Economy: Facile Synthesis of Photoresponsive Polysulfonates with Multifunctionalities. JACS AU 2021; 1:344-353. [PMID: 34467298 PMCID: PMC8395608 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.0c00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Photoresponsive polymers have attracted extensive attention due to their tunable functionalities and advanced applications; thus, it is significant to develop facile in situ synthesis strategies, extend polymers family, and establish various applications for photoresponsive polymers. Herein, we develop a catalyst-free spontaneous polymerization of dihaloalkynes and disulfonic acids without photosensitive monomers for the in situ synthesis of photoresponsive polysulfonates at room temperature in air with 100% atom economy in high yields. The resulting polysulfonates could undergo visible photodegradation with strong photoacid generation, leading to various applications including dual-emissive or 3D photopatterning, and practical broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. The halogen-rich polysulfonates also exhibit a high and photoswitched refractive index and could undergo efficient postfunctionalizations to further expand the variety and functionality of photoresponsive heteroatom-containing polyesters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Liu
- Department
of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research
Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, and Institute for
Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xin Liang
- College
of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, 700 Changcheng Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266109 China
| | - Yubing Hu
- Department
of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research
Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, and Institute for
Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lei Han
- Department
of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research
Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, and Institute for
Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- College
of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, 700 Changcheng Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266109 China
| | - Qing Qu
- Nano
Science and Technology Program and William Mong Institute of Nano
Science and Technology, The Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Clear
Water Bay, Hong Kong China
| | - Dongming Liu
- Center
for Aggregation-Induced Emission, SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Institute,
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Jing Guo
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Zebing Zeng
- State
Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Haotian Bai
- Department
of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research
Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, and Institute for
Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ryan T. K. Kwok
- Department
of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research
Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, and Institute for
Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- HKUST-Shenzhen
Research Institute, No.
9 Yuexing first RD, South Area, Hi-tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Anjun Qin
- Center
for Aggregation-Induced Emission, SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Institute,
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Jacky W. Y. Lam
- Department
of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research
Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, and Institute for
Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- HKUST-Shenzhen
Research Institute, No.
9 Yuexing first RD, South Area, Hi-tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Ben Zhong Tang
- Department
of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research
Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, and Institute for
Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- HKUST-Shenzhen
Research Institute, No.
9 Yuexing first RD, South Area, Hi-tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China
- Center
for Aggregation-Induced Emission, SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Institute,
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- AIE Institute, Guangzhou Development District, Huangpu, Guangzhou 510530, China
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