北京大学马丁团队报道了将聚氨酯化学转化为有价值的聚合物。相关研究成果于2024年12月4日发表在《国家科学评论》。

聚氨酯是一类重要的合成聚合物，广泛应用于各种应用，从日常用品到社会基础设施中的先进工具。它们固有的交联结构赋予了它们非凡的耐用性和灵活性，但这也使它们的降解和回收变得复杂。

该文中，研究人员报告了一种非均相催化过程，该过程将甲醇分解和氢化与CO₂/H₂反应介质相结合，有效地将由聚氨酯和酯键组成的PU废物分解成有价值的中间体，如芳香族二胺和内酯。

这些中间体随后被转化为功能性聚合物——以其出色的隔热和电绝缘性而闻名的聚酰亚胺（PI），以及一种传统塑料的可生物降解替代品，聚内酯（P（BL-co-CL））。与现有的商业产品相比，这两种聚合物都表现出增强的性能。这种方法不仅有助于塑料废物的价值化，而且为创造高性能材料开辟了新的途径。

附：英文原文

Title: Chemical transformation of polyurethane into valuable polymers

Author: Sun, Bo, Zou, Jiawei, Qiu, Weijie, Tian, Shuheng, Wang, Maolin, Tang, Haoyi, Wang, Baotieliang, Luan, Shifang, Tang, Xiaoyan, Wang, Meng, Ma, Ding

Issue&Volume: 2024-12-04

Abstract: Polyurethanes are an important class of synthetic polymers, widely used in a variety of applications ranging from everyday items to advanced tools in societal infrastructure. Their inherent cross-linked structure imparts exceptional durability and flexibility, yet this also complicates their degradation and recycling. Here we report a heterogeneous catalytic process that combines methanolysis and hydrogenation with a CO2/H2 reaction medium, effectively breaking down PU waste consisting of urethane and ester bonds into valuable intermediates like aromatic diamines and lactones. These intermediates are then converted into functional polymers: polyimide (PI), noted for its exceptional thermal and electrical insulation, and polylactone (P(BL-co-CL)), a biodegradable alternative to traditional plastics. Both polymers exhibit enhanced performance compared to existing commercial products. This approach not only contributes to the valorization of plastic waste but also opens new avenues for the creation of high-performance materials.

DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwae393

Source: https://academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwae393/7916670searchresult=1