HALOMETALLATE IONIC LIQUIDS AS SUITABLE SOLVENTS FOR POLYOLEFINS
Jonatan PEREZ-ARCE1, Maria TAEŅO1, Francesco TORRE1, Jean-Luc DAUVERGNE1, Stefania DOPPIU1, Elena PALOMO DEL BARRIO1,2, Eduardo J. GARCIA-SUAREZ1,2
1Center for Cooperative Research on Alternative Energies (CIC energiGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Alava Technology Park, Albert Einstein 48, 01510, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain., Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
2IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Maria Diaz de Haro 3, 48013 Bilbao, Spain, Bilbao, Spain
Plastics are present in all areas of our daily lives, being one of the most important materials that have enabled the advancement of our modern society. Plastics are synthetic materials composed of a different wide range of organic polymers that have become indispensable due to its unique properties such as light weight, water resistance, strength and both thermal as well as electrical insulation capacity. However, these properties make plastics a challenging material to recycle being polyolefins the most challenging ones.
One of the most critical constrain in the reprocessing of polyolefins for the upcycling into value-added chemicals is to find an efficient and affordable solvent for each process. In this regard, ionic liquids (ILs), which are organic salts with a relative low melting temperature, have emerged as potential solvents for polymers dissolution opening new opportunities due to the exceptional and tuneable properties. ILs possess key features such as negligible vapor pressure, non-flammability, high thermal and chemical stability, tuneable solubility for a broad spectrum of compounds, usually low toxicity, and high suitability for modifications (on cation and anion) and therefore, the possibility to tailor-made ILs for specific applications.
Among the wide family of ILs, the halometallate ILs have received relevant importance opening new opportunities for industrial processes due to their unique combination of physical and chemical properties. Tuning these ILs with small structural changes in their composition, drastic effects on any of their properties could be achieved e.g., adjustable Lewis or Brønsted acidity making halometallate ILs attractive reactive solvents.
In this work, we are presenting the solubility trend of selected polyolefins in a series of “ad hoc” synthetized halometallate ILs. In addition, parameters affecting the solubility such as polyolefins concentration, temperature, nature of the ILs, etc. will be discussed.