Thiol-ene eugenol polymer networks with chemical Degradation, thermal degradation and biodegradability

A green and sustainable strategy is developed toward the synthesis of methacrylic monomers and polymer networks using biobased eugenol as a starting material via solvent-free thiol-ene click chemistry. The mechanical properties, thermal stability, cross-linking density, glass transition temperature and transparency of biobased polymer networks can be tuned by changing the types of eugenol-based monomers and thiol crosslinkers. These polymer networks can be chemically degraded into carboxylic acids and other small molecules under basic conditions and could further thermally degrade into CO and CO₂. 8 %(0.2 g) of the network was biodegraded in digestive system of Tenebrio molitor. Biodegradation products of these polymer networks mainly include volatile organics, biological wastes, and other biodegraded intermediates. These polymers and their degradation mechanisms could provide a pathway to accessing degradable sustainable polymers and materials containing biomass resources.