Circular high-performance aza-Michael polymers as innovative materials originating from nature Dr Dan Day 1 , Dr James Sherwood 1 , Dr Rolf Blaauw 2 , Dr Daan Van Es 2 , Prof James Clark 1 , Dr Thomas Farmer 1* 1 Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK 2 Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, Netherlands Synthetic polymers have become an essential part of modern life with many important applications including plastics, biomedical applications, coatings, adhesives and composites to name but a few. However, the life-cycle of many polymers is problematic throughout, with monomers often sourced from non-renewable feedstocks, the use of harmful chemicals during production, and a plethora of environmental issues once they have reached their end-of-life. The ongoing BBI-JU CHAMPION project brings together 14 partners with the aim of using bio- based polymers to replace existing materials for several, diverse applications. In this talk, the focus will be on the preparation of reversibly crosslinked thermosets for adhesives and coatings by utilising the aza-Michael reaction, which has previously been shown to be reversible at high temperature. 1 The study of model aza-Michael reactions has already been investigated to help define the best conditions for preparing high-performance thermosets. 2,3 Unsaturated polyesters, which were synthesised from bio-based platform molecules, were used as the polymer backbone to be crosslinked. The versatility in the structure of the novel amines used can help to tailor both the reactivity and the final material properties. All materials used have been toxicity screened by innovative strategies. Prepared materials have been tested for their suitability in specific applications, and their end-of-life has been investigated both by biodegradation and chemical recycling for circular plastics. The best-performing candidates have already been prepared on a pilot scale to further demonstrate their suitability towards adoption by industrial end-users. Recent research into the further scope of aza-Michael chemistry for the preparation of highly lipophilic polymers will also be presented. These products have potential applications in non-polar formulations such as lubricants, coatings and cosmetics. References 1. A. Pellis,P. A. Hanson, J. W. Comerford, J. H. Clark, T. J. Farmer, Polym. Chem. , 2019, 10 , 843-851 2. D. M. Day, T. J Farmer, J. Sherwood, J. H. Clark, Tetrahedron , 2022, 121 , 132921 3. D. M. Day, T. J. Farmer, J. Granelli, J. H. Lofthouse, J. Lynch, R. C. McElroy, J. Sherwood, S. Shimizu, J. H. Clark, Molecules , 2022, 27 , 8427
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