Internally promoted reactivity of carbonized butadiene and amines enables a recyclable polymer composite

The catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into polymers via high-energy comonomers offers a sustainable, low-cost, and low-emission approach to developing conveniently manufactured high-performance materials without competing for land use or food resources. We present the synthesis of poly(amidoamine) polymers stoichiometrically derived from carbon dioxide, butadiene, and amines displaying useful mechanical properties (tensile strength, 43 MPa; Young’s modulus, 840 MPa; and flexural modulus, 2.6 GPa). The low viscosity precursors (20 centipoise at 25°C) are applicable to producing carbon fiber reinforced polymers with fiber wetting and rapid network formation (16 min at 150°C). This work reveals that the reactivity of the internal hydrogen bonding catalyzes the ring-opening polymerization, and the intramolecular alcohol moiety promotes chemical recyclability to the monomers under acidic conditions, allowing the carbon fibers to be recovered with <1.0 wt % difference and reused in the manufacturing of recycled composites.