Polyalkenamers as Drop-In Additives for Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization: A Promising Upcycling Paradigm.

We report a distinct strategy to upcycle waste polyalkenamers such as polybutadiene into new, performance-advantaged materials by using them as drop-in additives for ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The polyalkenamers serve as competent chain-transfer agents in ROMPs of common classes of cyclic olefin monomers, facilitating good molecular weight control, allowing low Ru catalyst loadings, and enabling efficient incorporation of the polyalkenamer into the synthesized polymeric material. We successfully demonstrate ROMP using model polyalkenamers and translate these learnings to leverage commercial polybutadiene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene () as chain transfer agents for ROMP copolymerizations.

Synthesis and Characterization of a High Flux Nanocellulose-Cellulose Acetate Nanocomposite Membrane.

Despite the advantages of membrane processes, their high energy requirement remains a major challenge. Fabrication of nanocomposite membranes by incorporating various nanomaterials in the polymer matrix has shown promise for enhancing membrane flux. In this study, we embed functionalized cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) with high aspect ratios in the polymer matrix to create hydrophilic nanochannels that reduce membrane resistance and facilitate the facile transport of water molecules through the membrane.