Catalyst-free, autoinductive photochemical upcycling of aromatic polymers and mixed plastics via autosensitization

Catalyst-free, autoinductive photochemical upcycling of aromatic polymers and mixed plastics via autosensitization

Abstract Photochemical upcycling of polymers is a promising strategy for mitigating the plastic-waste crisis; however, many recent advances have centered on developing costly photocatalysts. In contrast, the auto-sensitized photoreactivity of aromatic polymers such as polystyrene (PS)—albeit documented for decades—has remained unexploited for practical upcycling. Here we leverage this overlooked reactivity to develop a catalyst-free platform tha…