Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Polyolefins are among the most widely used plastics, yet their chemically inert hydrocarbon backbones severely limit opportunities for chemical modification and value-added reuse. Introducing carbon–carbon double bonds offers a powerful way to transform these otherwise unreactive materials into versatile intermediates for downstream chemistry. Here we report an acceptorless photocatalytic/cobalt-catalyzed dehydrogenation that operates across a broad range of polyethylene- and polypropylene-based materials, including post-consumer plastics. Notably, polypropylene undergoes dehydrogenation with near-exclusive selectivity for terminal alkene formation. The resulting unsaturated polyolefins serve as versatile platforms for diverse transformations, enabling access to functionalized polyolefins, telechelic polyethylene, as well as block and graft copolymers. These products further demonstrate utility as compatibilizers for immiscible polymer blends and as strong adhesive materials. By converting inert C–H backbones into chemically addressable alkene-containing polymers, this strategy transforms commodity polyolefins into diverse polymer architectures with practical functions.
Source: ChemRxiv
Institution: Sichuan University
Language: English
Subfield: Organic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Award: G4036488701
OpenAlex ID: W7222319845