Hydroborative Depolymerization of Polyesters and Polycarbonates to Diols Catalyzed by Heterogeneous Lanthanum Materials La(CH2C6H4NMe2‑o)3@SBA-15

• Published in: Inorganic chemistry Vol. 63; no. 38; pp. 17574 - 17583
• Main Authors: Ma, Yansong, Zhao, Zheyu, Chen, Jue, Chen, Yanjun, Wang, Bin, Luo, Yunjie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 05.09.2024
• ISSN: 0020-1669; 1520-510X; 1520-510X
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c02202

Chemical recycling is a promising strategy to establish a circular plastic economy, and it is still in an early stage of development. In this work, the reductive depolymerization of polyesters and polycarbonates into their corresponding borylated alcohols promoted by heterogeneous lanthanum materials was described. Grafting the easily accessible lanthanum tris­(aminobenzyl) complex La­(CH2C6H4NMe2-o)3 (1) onto the partially dehydroxylated silica support SBA-15 (SBA-15500 or SBA-15700) gave the inorganic–organic hybrid materials 1@SBA-15500 and 1@SBA-15700. These hybrid lanthanum materials, in combination with pinacolborane (HBpin), could serve as highly active heterogeneous catalysts for the selective depolymerization of aliphatic and aromatic polyesters, as well as polycarbonates into their corresponding borylated diols through a hydroboration reaction under mild conditions. The lanthanum materials exhibited a practical application in plastic waste recycling for their easy preparation, high catalytic efficiency, and recyclable property.