Novel application of chain transfer agents for generation of high value polymers during mechanical recycling
| dc.contributor.author | Wilusz, Gwen, author | |
| dc.contributor.author | Estock, John, author | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hill, Megan, author | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-12-13T19:02:33Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-12-13T19:02:33Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description | College of Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry. University Honors Program, Fall 2024. | |
| dc.description.abstract | Plastic consumption has increased drastically in the modern era, inevitably leading to an increase in plastic waste. While recycling was historically proposed to counteract this influx, the combination of the heating and shearing forces innate to this process leads to the formation of highly reactive, short-lived radical species that can induce chain degradation of polymers. This decreases the overall molecular weight of the material, inevitably resulting in lower-value products. This work demonstrates improvements that will increase the mechanical recyclability of polymer waste by introducing accessible functionality to degraded polymers through mechanoradical capture. Trithiocarbonate (TTC) chain transfer agents (CTAs), typically used in reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerizations, have the unique ability to stabilize and capture radicals. Thus, introducing these small molecules during the mechanical recycling process captures the mechanoradicals formed, effectively functionalizing the waste polymers. These functionalized polymers are then employed as macroinitiators for controlled polymerization. In addition, TTC functionalities are used as labile groups that allow for depolymerization to monomer at more accessible temperatures. This novel method generates both higher molecular weight materials akin to virgin polymers and produces monomers that can be repolymerized, offering a promising path toward a circular plastic economy. | |
| dc.format.medium | born digital | |
| dc.format.medium | Student works | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10217/239701 | |
| dc.language | English | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher | Colorado State University. Libraries | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | Honors Theses | |
| dc.rights | Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright. | |
| dc.subject | polymer chemistry | |
| dc.subject | mechanochemistry | |
| dc.subject | mechanoradical capture | |
| dc.subject | RAFT polymerization | |
| dc.subject | mechanical recycling | |
| dc.subject | upcycling | |
| dc.title | Novel application of chain transfer agents for generation of high value polymers during mechanical recycling | |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dc.type | Image | |
| dcterms.rights.dpla | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Honors | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Colorado State University | |
| thesis.degree.level | Undergraduate | |
| thesis.degree.name | Honors Thesis |