Combining Two Mechanistically Distinct Reactions from a Single Iron Complex: A Tandem Approach to Thermally Stable and Recyclable Polymers

Abstract

A shift from petrochemical feedstocks to renewable resources has the potential to address some of the environmental concerns associated with petrochemical extraction, thereby making the production of plastics a sustainable process. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the development of selective techniques for the conversion of abundant renewable feedstocks into environmentally friendly polymers. We present a one-pot iron-based catalytic system, which is active, efficient, and selective under mild conditions for producing of renewable copolymers. We demonstrate that this system can function as a tandem catalyst for the production of poly(silylether)s (PSEs), followed by the ring-opening polymerization of lactide. This effective approach provides direct access to novel thermally stable copolymers. Furthermore, we detail the quantitative chemical recycling of such copolymers, underscoring their potential as new environmentally friendly materials.