Upcycling of Poly(Phenylene Ether) Waste Products to Hyper-Crosslinked Organic Porous Materials

Abstract

Dimethyl phenol (dmp) oligomers are a side product of industrial poly(phenylethyl ether) (PPE) production and significantly contribute to the environmental burden associated with  PPE application. Here, a new process for the upcycling of waste-derived dmp into hyper-crosslinked porous polymer networks through F-C alkylation with p-dichlorobenzyl as an external crosslink agent is presented. The resulting hype-rcrosslinked porous polymers exhibited a maximum BET surface area of 740 m 2 g -1 and an adsorption capacity of 5.9wt% and 0.85 wt% towards CO 2 (at 1.0 bar, 298 K) and  H 2 (at 1.0 bar, 77.3 K), respectively. Form stability of micro- and mesopores was attributed to the rigidity of the aromatic network structure. The results suggest new opportunities for the upcycling of dmp-waste components for applications such as carbon capture that could reduce the negative environmental cost associated with the fabrication and application of PPE and related engineering polymers.

Keywords: Dimethylphenol Oligomers, Hypercrosslinked polymers, Porous Materials, Gas Capacity, Carbon capture