Scalable and efficient chemical recycling of commodity polymeric materials remains a challenge as the materials continually accumulate in the environment. Now, upcycling of polystyrene into benzoic acid and other value-added chemicals is realized under mild photooxidation conditions, with hydrogen atom transfer as the key step.
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Xu, M., Gutekunst, W.R. Upcycling polystyrene with oxygen and light. Nat. Synth 1, 508–509 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-022-00098-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-022-00098-1