Photoreduction of Anthracenes Catalyzed by peri-
Xanthenoxanthene: a Scalable and Sustainable Birch-Type
Alternative
Cristian De Luca, Davide Zanetti, Tommaso Battisti, Rúben R. Ferreira, Sofia Lopez, Alexander H. McMillan, Sasha Cai Lesher-Pérez, Laura Maggini, and Davide Bonifazi
Published online: 18 August 2023
Photocatalyzed “Birch-type” reduction of acenes by using peri-xanthenoxanthene (PXX). This work presents a novel method for reducing various full-carbon acenes using visible blue light and PXX as a photocatalyst. By attaching PXX to PDMS beads, catalyst recyclability can be achieved without compromising efficiency. Integration of the PXX-PDMS beads into a microreactor enabled the reduction of acenes under continuous-flow conditions, thereby validating the sustainability and scalability of this heterogeneous-phase approach.
Phenoxy Resin-Based Vinylogous Urethane Covalent Adaptable Networks
Giuseppe Soavi, Francesca Portone, Daniele Battegazzore, Chiara Paravidino, Rossella Arrigo, Alessandro Pedrini, Roberta Pinalli, Alberto Fina, Enrico Dalcanale
Published online: 30 July 2023
This work presents a post-polymerization approach to the preparation of vitrimers, exploiting the transamination of vinylogous urethane in linear phenoxy resins. The conversion of linear polymers to dynamic crosslinked networks is confirmed by dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer and rheology measurements, followed by stress relaxation tests to investigate the kinetics of bond exchanges. Tensile tests as a function of reprocessing cycles reveal an increase of the maximum elongation and stress at break and prove the good recyclability of the vitrimers. Enhanced adhesive properties compared to pristine phenoxy resins are demonstrated, including the possibility to thermally re-join the assembly after its mechanical failure. Finally, the solvent-free preparation of vitrimers is explored at 5% crosslinking density via melt reactive blending, providing a valuable alternative to the less environmentally sustainable synthesis in solution.
Polyethylene Based Ionomers as High Voltage Insulation Materials
Silvia D'Auria, Amir Masoud Pourrahimi, Alessia Favero, Peter Neuteboom, Xiangdong Xu, Shuichi Haraguchi, Marko Bek, Roland Kádár, Enrico Dalcanale, Roberta Pinalli, Christian Müller, Jérôme Vachon
Published online: 30 May 2023
Polyethylene based ionomers are found to be a promising high-voltage insulation material. The synthesized ionomers behave as cross-linked materials with a rubber plateau above the melting temperature and a low direct-current electrical conductivity of 2 to 6·10−14 S m−1 at 70 °C and an electric field of 30 kV mm−1, which is comparable to cross-linked polyethylene, the most widely used insulation material for extruded high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) cables.