DataVXACS Applied Materials & InterfacesPaper
journal article·2023-09-20Open access

Diapers to Thickeners and Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives: Recycling of Superabsorbers via UV Degradation

Shuai Li, Johannes M. Scheiger, Zhenwu Wang, Birgit Huber, Maxi Hoffmann, Manfred Wilhelm, Pavel A. Levkin

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces· Volume 15· Issue 37
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Source abstract

Abstract

Superabsorbers based on crosslinked sodium polyacrylate polymers cannot be easily recycled, resulting in 2 million tons of superabsorbers being landfilled or burned every year. A fast and efficient strategy to recycle superabsorbers would significantly alleviate environmental pollution and promote a sustainable use of these polymers. Herein, the rapid recycling of crosslinked sodium polyacrylate hydrogels based on their inherent UV degradation is demonstrated without the need for chemicals besides water. A quantitative conversion of crosslinked sodium polyacrylate into soluble sodium polyacrylate is achieved in minutes, almost 200 times faster than a previous approach based on de-esterification. The obtained soluble sodium polyacrylate can be used, for example, as a thickener for aqueous dyes or can be esterified with n -butanol or 2-ethylhexanol to serve as a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The UV photodegradation and esterification of superabsorbers is fast, scalable, safe, and economical and yields polymers with controllable molecular weight in the range of 100–400 kg/mol. It thus offers distinct advantages over the chemical de-crosslinking strategies presented previously.
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Research context

Polymers

OpenAlex topics: Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity · Advanced Cellulose Research Studies · Flame retardant materials and properties

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems-Functional Molecular Systems (IBCS-FMS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany

Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical School of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China

Soft Matter Synthesis Laboratory (SML), Institute for Biological Interfaces 3 (IBG-3), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany

Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Engesserstraße 18, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany

Institute of Organic Chemistry (IOC), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstraße 12, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft · China Scholarship Council · Helmholtz Association · Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft · Impuls- und Vernetzungsfonds der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft

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