Degradation of Various Organic Coatings via UV-Generated Sulfate Radicals

Degradation of organic coatings is essential for recycling valuable substrates. Despite the development of strategies for this purpose, the resulting degradations are typically constrained by the composition of the coating. This paper presents a simple strategy utilizing radicals induced by UV for the degradation of diverse organic coatings. The sulfate radicals, generated from UV-exposed ammonium persulfates, induce the degradation of various organic coatings, including layer-by-layer assembled coating composed of alginate and chitosan polymers as well as polydopamine coating. This strategy also facilitates the separation of two adhered substrates by degrading the adhesive polymer layer positioned between them. This novel approach enables the complete degradation of various organic coatings in aqueous conditions without imposing restrictions on their composition, leading to the recovery of the original surface properties of the substrate.