Electrochemical Commodity Polymer Up- and Re-Cycling: Toward Sustainable and Circular Plastic Treatment.

Abstract

The demand for commodity plastics reaches unprecedented dimensions. In contrast to the well-developed plethora of methods for polymer synthesis, sustainable strategies for the end-of-life management of plastics continue to be scarce. While mechanical re-cycling often results in downgraded materials, chemical re-cycling or up-cycling offers tremendous potential for an efficient and green approach, thereby addressing the precarious treatment of post-use plastics within a circular carbon economy. Recently, electrochemistry surfaced as a uniquely powerful tool for polymer up-cycling via polymer functionalization or degradation obtaining either novel polymers with valorized properties or high-value recycled small molecules, respectively. While discussing recent progress in that domain, future perspectives of electrochemical polymer modifications until January 2025 are outlined herein.