Temporal Regulation of PET‐RAFT Controlled Radical Depolymerization

• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202313232
• Publication Date: 2023-10-10T04:01:10Z
• Authors: Valentina Bellotti; Hyun Suk Wang; Nghia P. Truong; Roberto Simonutti; Athina Anastasaki
• Keywords: Depolymerization; Raft

A photocatalytic RAFT-controlled radical depolymerization method is introduced for precisely conferring temporal control under visible light irradiation. By regulating the deactivation of depropagating chains and suppressing thermal initiation, an excellent was enabled, exemplified by several consecutive "on" "off" cycles. Minimal, if any, could be observed during dark periods while polymer chain-ends efficiently re-activated continue to depropagate upon re-exposure light. Notably, favoring resulted in gradual unzipping a stepwise decrease molecular weight over time. This synthetic approach constitutes simple methodology modulate chemical recycling RAFT-synthesized polymers offering invaluable mechanistic insights.