# Polymer Backbone Editing with Cyclopropenes via Olefin Metathesis

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method to modify and upgrade common polymers using cyclopropenes, enabling recycling and improving material properties.

## Contribution

A novel polymer upcycling approach using cyclopropenes via ring-opening cross metathesis is introduced.

## Key findings

- High conversion of cyclopropenes (>90%) was achieved during the editing process.
- Postediting molecular weights remained above 22 kDa, preserving polymer integrity.
- The method altered chemical and thermal properties of resulting copolymers.

## Abstract

The limited ability
to recycle or upcycle many commodity polymers
with all carbon backbones poses a significant challenge to polymer
chemists and society as a whole. In this work, sterically hindered
cyclopropenes (CPEs) are used to promote ring-opening
cross metathesis reactions with alkene-containing polymers to upgrade
the original materials into functional copolymers through a formal
backbone editing process. This polymer backbone editing process was
able to achieve high conversion of the CPEs (>90%)
and
maintain reasonable postediting molecular weights (>22 kDa). The
method
was applied to different CPEs and olefin-containing polymers,
resulting in changes in the chemical and thermal properties of the
resulting copolymer materials. This work advances avenues for polymer
upcycling processes, offering new directions for repurposing widely
used olefinic polymers.