From Dicyclopentadiene to Chemically Recyclable Polymeric Materials

Abstract

Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), an abundant and inexpensive industrial byproduct, is converted via green synthetic routes into a series of cyclopentene monomers with tunable ring-strain energies (4.15–6.50 kcal mol–1). Notably, the epoxy-substituted monomer exhibits enhanced ring strain (6.50 kcal mol–1), enabling quasi-living ring-opening metathesis polymerization to afford a high-molecular-weight polycyclopentenamer in 93% isolated yield. Beyond its inherent closed-loop recyclability via Ru-catalyzed depolymerization, the pendant epoxy groups serve as a versatile post-functionalization platform for post-functionalization, yielding three distinct functional materials—a thermoplastic elastomer, a zwitterionic polymer, and a high-water-uptake thermoset—all of which retain complete closed-loop chemical sustainability. This work establishes DCPD as a scalable platform for designing chemically recyclable functional materials, bridging sustainable monomer sourcing, controlled polymerization, and circular materials economy.