Optimising selectivity and activity in catalytic chemical depolymerisation cascades

塑料污染是一个迫切需要应对的社会挑战。发展化学解聚，例如通过催化剂优化，作为塑料寿命终结的命运，可以帮助解决这一危机。该项目将探索针对两个增值终端的催化剂优化。首先，商品聚合物的循环解聚-优化解聚的速度和选择性，特别是在与多种塑料竞争的实验中。实验设计原则将从Greaney集团在有机催化(Lewis碱、NHC、胺亲核试剂)和光氧化还原催化方面的研究中获得灵感，并将其应用于Shaver集团的可持续聚合物专业知识，以创建最佳系统。最高性能系统的扩展将为生命周期评估提供输入变量，这是Shaver团队的另一项专业知识。其次，对于选择性不可能的系统，或者技术经济分析表明它不是理想的可持续性，单体原料将在级联催化反应中进行探索，以创造增值的更新循环产品。

Plastic pollution is a societal challenge which must urgently be met. Developing chemical depolymerisation, such as through catalyst optimisation, as an end-of-life fate for plastics can help address this crisis. This project will explore catalyst optimisation for two value-added ends-of-life. First, the circular depolymerisation of commodity polymers - optimising the speed and selectivity of the depolymerisation, especially in competition experiments with multiple plastics. Design-of-experiments principles will take inspiration from Greaney group research in organocatalysis (Lewis base, NHC, amine nucleophiles) and photoredox catalysis and apply it to the sustainable polymer expertise in the Shaver group to create optimal systems. Scale up of top-performing systems will offer input variables for life cycle assessments, another expertise of the Shaver group. Second, for systems where selectivity is not possible, or the techno-economic analysis suggests it is not ideally sustainable, the monomeric feedstocks will be explored in cascade catalytic reactions to create value-added, upcycled products.