One-Pot Upcycling of Polycarbonate into BPA-Poly(ether-carbonate) Polyols for Polyurethane Applications

To address the escalating plastic waste crisis, chemical upcycling has emerged as a key strategy for converting plastic waste into valuable compounds. In this study, we present a one-pot synthesis of BPA-poly(ether-carbonate) polyols through the sequential depolymerization of bisphenol-A polycarbonate and in situ ring-opening polymerization of ethylene carbonate. Notably, the transition between these reactions was achieved simply by adjusting the temperature, with the 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) catalyst facilitating both reaction stages. By varying the initial feed ratio of ethylene carbonate, the molecular weight of the resulting polymers was tuned to be 1.3 and 2.2 kg/mol. These BPA-poly(ether-carbonate) polyols were then employed as soft segments in the production of thermoplastic polyurethanes. The resulting polyurethanes exhibited excellent mechanical properties, with tensile strengths of 31.6 and 29.7 MPa and elongation at break values of 1074 and 1234%. This approach to converting plastic waste into valuable polyols represents a significant advancement in the design of new high-performance materials with recycled content.