A multi-functional chromone-modified polyethylene obtained by metal-free C-H activation

• Published in: Polymer chemistry 2022-03, Vol.13 (1), p.1437-1445
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yongjie, Li, Xiaopei, Zhu, Wenqin, Liu, Pibo, Ren, Juntao, Chen, Shangtao, Hu, Yanming, Zhou, Guangyuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alkanes; Antioxidants; Fluorescence; Functional materials; Naphthalene; Oxidizing agents; Polyethylene; Polyethylenes; Polymer chemistry; Polyolefins; Polystyrene resins; Solvents; Thermogravimetric analysis
• ISSN: 1759-9954; 1759-9962
• DOI: 10.1039/d1py01604k

Post-modification of polyolefins by cutting-edge C-H activation has recently emerged as an attractive methodology for the incorporation of precise functionalities, thus expanding their applicability and creating value-added materials. In this report, chromone (CM), the core of naturally occurring molecules possessing manifold biological and pharmacological activities, was incorporated into polyethylene (PE) through the recently developed radical-mediated alkane C-H activation approach. The reaction was conducted in the presence of di- tert butyl peroxide as the oxidant and a small amount of naphthalene as the solvent or under solvent-free conditions. The produced CM-grafted PEs (CM-PEs) exhibited intriguing antioxidative and fluorescence properties as revealed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and fluorescence microscopy. Moreover, CM-PEs were successfully demonstrated to act as a polymer-bound antioxidant, a fluorescence marker for plastic sorting, and a traceable compatibilizer for the PE/polystyrene blend, revealing that CM-PE is a multi-functional material. A chromone-modified polyethylene possessing intriguing antioxidative, fluorescence, and compatibility properties was facilely synthesized by a radical-mediated C-H activation method.