Reprocessable CO <sub>2</sub> –Based Thermosets via Copolymerization of Elemental Sulfur with a δ-Lactone Derived from CO <sub>2</sub> and Butadiene
3-Ethylidene-6-vinyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-one (EVP), a CO2-derived monomer featuring two C═C double bonds and a lactone ring, offers unique structural versatility. However, conventional vinyl addition polymerization of EVP typically yields all-carbon main-chain polymers with complex structures, hindering degradability and recyclability. Here, we harness the dual C═C bonds of EVP to directly copolymerize with elemental sulfur (S8) via radical inverse vulcanization, establishing a new pathway for CO2-based polymer synthesis. Moreover, leveraging the distinct reactivities of the two C═C double bonds, EVP-derived monomers were prepared through selective Michael addition with dithiols or 6-mercapto-1-hexanol, enabling the fabrication of tunable CO2-based elastomers through copolymerization with S8. The resulting polymers incorporate dynamic S–S bonds, imparting intrinsic recyclability and self-healing properties. This study presents a versatile and efficient strategy for constructing sustainable CO2-based polymers via C═C double-bond addition chemistry of EVP.
Authors
- Lei Xia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4538-5326)
- Z. Conrad Zhang
- Limin Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0856-5378)
- Zong-Bin Lu
- Chao-Ji Xie
- Yu Xiong
- Chun-Yan Hong
- Ye-Zi You
Institutions
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- Hefei University of Technology (CN)
- Pediatrics and Genetics (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Macromolecules
- Published
- 2026-02-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.5c03307
- Primary Topic
- Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00