The development of sustainable methods for the closed-loop production and recycling of plastics is an important challenge of current times. Reactions based on catalytic (de)hydrogenation are atom-economic, and sustainable routes for organic transformations.1,2 This lecture will discuss the application of homogeneous (de)hydrogenative catalysis for the (a) synthesis of several renewable polymers, in particular, polyureas,3,4 poly(ureaurethane),5 polyethylenimines,6,7 polyesterethers,8 and polyketones9; (b) hydrogenation of CO210 and plastics in particular nylons, polyureas, polyurethanes, nitrile butadiene rubber, and polyesters;11-12 and (c) Application of some of renewable polyetherureas for water-based binders for lithium-ion batteries.13
References:
1. Chem. Rev., 2022, 1, 385. 2. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020, 142,14267. 3. Chem. Commun., 2021, 57, 6153. 4. ACS Catal, 2022, 12, 6923. 5. Chem. Sci., 2024, 15, 16594. 6. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e2023066. 7. Nat. Commun., 2024, 15, 6253. 8. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2025, 13, 5703. 9. ACS Catal., 2024, 14, 10624. 10. ACS Catal, 2026, 16, 2309. 11. Angew Chem Int Ed, 2026, e25705, https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202525705. 12. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2026, 65, e21838. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202521838. 13. Green Chem., 2026, 28, 318-325.