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Incorporating fluorine into certain polyesters accelerates polymer chain formation, makes longer chains accessible, and enables targeted modification of the material's properties. As a result, fluorinated polyesters become more competitive with other types of plastics, while the fluorine can be recovered during degradation.

This is the conclusion of a study led by the University of Bayreuth, in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Polyesters are becoming increasingly popular plastics due to their potential for relatively straightforward chemical recycling. However, compared to other types of plastics, polyesters are significantly more limited in their applications, owing to their thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties.

Extending polymer chains or increasing their thermal stability can improve their usability. Through chemical modifications, such as the incorporation of additional molecules, the properties of polyesters can be precisely tailored. This broadens the range of potential applications and enhances the competitiveness of this type of plastic.

A research team led by Prof. Dr. Alex J. Plajer at the University of Bayreuth, in collaboration with researchers in Berlin, has recently developed a new class of fluorinated polyesters that degrade more easily than conventional polyesters due to the integrated fluorine.

In a follow-up study, they have now succeeded in further developing these fluorinated polyesters, making them more competitive with other types of plastic.

"Fluorinated polyesters are particularly interesting because fluorine, as the most electronegative element, attracts electrons extremely strongly. This allows us to create materials with fluorine that would be hard to imagine with other elements," says Plajer.

In their new study, the researchers found that fluorine not only speeds up the polymerization process compared to analogous polyesters without fluorine; it also results in longer polymer chains that entangle more effectively, making the plastic more mechanically robust.

"What's especially exciting is that we can selectively replace certain fluorine atoms in the polyester with other molecules. This allows us to precisely control the properties of the polyesters," explains Plajer.

Furthermore, the fluorinated polyesters offer a sustainable approach, as the fluorine can be recovered during a chemical recycling process in a form usable by the chemical industry.

"Our findings demonstrate how targeted molecular modifications can fundamentally alter the properties of plastics. Integrating fluorine into the polymer structure opens up new avenues for developing sustainable and high-performance materials that could meet both environmental requirements and industrial standards," says Plajer.