Kilogram-Scale Preparation of Poly(ethylene oxalate) toward Marine-Degradable Plastics

In this work, a marine degradable plastic poly(ethylene oxalate) (PEOx) was successfully synthesized from the bench scale to the kilogram scale. The synthetic process for high-performance PEOx and its marine degradability received specific focus. Precise manipulation of the feedstock and reaction conditions was found to be the key to successfully inhibit the formation of the diethylene glycol (DEG) byproduct. Otherwise, the increase in DEG units caused a decrease in the crystallization ability but endowed a more substantial melt memory effect. The robust mechanical performance, moderate melting temperature, and excellent marine degradability make PEOx a promising biodegradable material. More appealingly, PEOx exhibited a green closed-loop recycling characteristic by thermolysis to a cyclic monomer and repolymerization to the polymer. Accordingly, the successful scale-up preparation of the high-performance PEOx material shows a potential commercial opportunity toward marine degradable plastics.

Automated summary

In this study, a marine degradable plastic poly(ethylene oxalate) (PEOx) was successfully synthesized and its synthesis process and marine degradability were investigated. Precise control of the feedstock and reaction conditions was crucial in inhibiting the formation of the diethylene glycol (DEG) byproduct. PEOx exhibited strong mechanical performance, moderate melting temperature, and excellent marine degradability, making it a promising biodegradable material.