A poly­(n-butyl methacrylate) macroinitiator with terminal chlorine chain-end functionality (CEF) was depolymerized by ATRP mediated by a copper­(II) chloride/tris­(2-pyridylmethyl)­amine (CuCl2/TPMA) catalyst at 170 °C. Depolymerization reactions with solid loadings between 8 and 21 wt % recovered >40% monomer within 10 min and up to 67% monomer at 8 wt % solid loading. This method was selective to n-butyl methacrylate monomer by concurrent depolymerization and distillation on a rotary evaporator. Control experiments confirmed that the reactions stopped due to the loss of CEF before equilibrium was established at the equilibrium monomer concentration. Incubation of the macroinitiators showed evidence of alkyl halide decomposition via lactonization of the chain end, leading to lower initiation efficiencies and an increase in the thermal stability of the polymer.

Recycling of polymers has become increasingly relevant with the focus on a circular economy. Controlled radical polymerizations create an avenue for polymerization and depolymerization through activation of the dormant polymer chain-end functionality. Here, the depolymerizations of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) macroinitiators with terminal chlorine chain-end functionality mediated by iron chloride salts and iron powder at 170 °C are reported. The depolymerizations were conducted with polystyrene as internal standard for kinetics measurements by GPC. Higher conversion and depolymerization rates were achieved in tetra(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether than in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene. Depolymerization with zerovalent Fe 0 as a supplemental activator and reducing agent was the most effective, reaching >70% conversion at 10 wt % solid polymethacrylate loadings with fast reaction rates. The monomer isolated during the depolymerization was recovered through distillation.

Nowadays, the chemical industry is looking for sustainable chemicals to synthesize nanocomposite bio-based polyurethane foams, PUs, with the aim to replace the conventional petrochemical precursors. Some possibilities to increase the environmental sustainability in the synthesis of nanocomposite PUs include the use of chemicals and additives derived from renewable sources (such as vegetable oils or biomass wastes), which comprise increasingly wider base raw materials. Generally, sustainable PUs exhibit chemico-physical, mechanical and functional properties, which are not comparable with those of PUs produced from petrochemical precursors. In order to enhance the performances, as well as the bio-based aspect, the addition in the polyurethane formulation of renewable or natural fillers can be considered. Among these, walnut shells and cellulose are very popular wood-based waste, and due to their chemical composition, carbohydrate, protein and/or fatty acid, can be used as reactive fillers in the synthesis of Pus. Diatomite, as a natural inorganic nanoporous filler, can also be evaluated to improve mechanical and thermal insulation properties of rigid PUs. In this respect, sustainable nanocomposite rigid PU foams are synthesized by using a cardanol-based Mannich polyol, MDI (Methylene diphenyl isocyanate) as an isocyanate source, catalysts and surfactant to regulate the polymerization and blowing reactions, H2O as a sustainable blowing agent and a suitable amount (5 wt%) of ultramilled walnut shell, cellulose and diatomite as filler. The effect of these fillers on the chemico-physical, morphological, mechanical and functional performances on PU foams has been analyzed.

The glycosylation of five-coordinate Pt(ii) compounds through a Pt–C linkage can be a very effective strategy for attacking cancer cells, while preserving the survival of the healthy ones.

It is well known that the traditional synthetic polymers, such as Polyurethane foams, require raw materials that are not fully sustainable and are based on oil-feedstocks. For this reason, renewable resources such as biomass, polysaccharides and proteins are still recognized as one of the most promising approaches for substituting oil-based raw materials (mainly polyols). However, polyurethanes from renewable sources exhibit poor physical and functional performances. For this reason, the best technological solution is the production of polyurethane materials obtained through a partial replacement of the oil-based polyurethane precursors. This approach enables a good balance between the need to improve the sustainability of the polymer and the need to achieve suitable performances, to fulfill the technological requirements for specific applications. In this paper, a succinic-based polyol sample (obtained from biomass source) was synthesized, characterized and blended with cardanol-based polyol (Mannich-based polyol) to produce sustainable rigid polyurethane foams in which the oil-based polyol is totally replaced. A suitable amount of catalysts and surfactant, water as blowing reagent and poly-methylene diphenyl di-isocyanate as isocyanate source were used for the polyurethane synthesis. The resulting foams were characterized by means of infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to control the cross-linking reactions, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the morphological structure and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and thermal conductivity to evaluate thermal degradation behavior and thermal insulation properties.