Photo-Induced Depolymerisation: Recent Advances and Future Challenges

Facing the growing environmental issues provoked by the use of nondegradable polymers in many fields (for example, packing, building, and clothing), tremendous efforts have been made to explore photodegradable materials to alleviate the increase in plastic pollution. Photodegradable materials would exploit significant advantages presented by the use of light, such as abundance, safety and the ability to easily tune intensity and wavelength. In particular, photo-induced depolymerisation has received increasing attention, which could enable polymers to degrade to their original monomers or small molecules under certain photoirradiation conditions. Most importantly, the obtained molecules or monomers via photo-induced depolymerisation could be conveniently recycled or further transformed to other high-value-added products, which is of great benefit for environmental protection. This Review summarizes recent advances in the growing field of photo-induced depolymerisation and also considers future challenges that must be addressed. It aims to encourage new researchers to enter this flourishing area and presents a brief guide to the field.