Soda lignin as a sustainable photosensitive component for conventional and controlled radical photopolymerization

Abstract Valorization of waste for chemical processes addresses a challenging task for the society. Soda lignin (AL) available in the pulp industry operated in a photocatalytic cycle CuX2/L (X: Br, Cl; L: Me6TREN: Tris[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine) and to initiate radical photopolymerization of meth...

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Main Authors: Min Wang, Xiongfei Luo, Qunying Wang, Veronika Strehmel, Zhijun Chen, Shujun Li, Bernd Strehmel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Communications Chemistry
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01593-0
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author Min Wang
Xiongfei Luo
Qunying Wang
Veronika Strehmel
Zhijun Chen
Shujun Li
Bernd Strehmel
author_facet Min Wang
Xiongfei Luo
Qunying Wang
Veronika Strehmel
Zhijun Chen
Shujun Li
Bernd Strehmel
author_sort Min Wang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Valorization of waste for chemical processes addresses a challenging task for the society. Soda lignin (AL) available in the pulp industry operated in a photocatalytic cycle CuX2/L (X: Br, Cl; L: Me6TREN: Tris[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine) and to initiate radical photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with α-bromophenylacetate (EBPA) by exposure at 420 nm. This resulted in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) exhibiting a dispersity <1.3 with CuX2/L loading of ≲52 ppm. Deactivator reduction increased dispersity. MMA, styrene, and benzyl methacrylate successfully served as monomers for chain extension and block copolymerization experiments. This worked with CuX2/L ≥ 6.5 ppm, although conventional radical polymerization additionally competed. Adding of sodium pyruvate enabled radical photopolymerization under air. Modification of lignin with an aryl sulfonate group resulted in a one-component photoinitiator. It successfully initiated radical photopolymerization of a monomer mixture of (hydroxyethyl)methacrylate (HEMA) and urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA). Scale-up experiments approved practicability of photo-ATRP.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2025-07-01
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spelling doaj-art-b3473af73f4c45778eb0487600737b5b2025-08-20T04:01:24ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Chemistry2399-36692025-07-018111110.1038/s42004-025-01593-0Soda lignin as a sustainable photosensitive component for conventional and controlled radical photopolymerizationMin Wang0Xiongfei Luo1Qunying Wang2Veronika Strehmel3Zhijun Chen4Shujun Li5Bernd Strehmel6Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science & Technology, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of EducationKey Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science & Technology, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of EducationDepartment of Chemistry, Institute for Coatings and Surface Chemistry Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Adlerstr. 1Department of Chemistry, Institute for Coatings and Surface Chemistry Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Adlerstr. 1Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science & Technology, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of EducationKey Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science & Technology, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of EducationDepartment of Chemistry, Institute for Coatings and Surface Chemistry Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Adlerstr. 1Abstract Valorization of waste for chemical processes addresses a challenging task for the society. Soda lignin (AL) available in the pulp industry operated in a photocatalytic cycle CuX2/L (X: Br, Cl; L: Me6TREN: Tris[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine) and to initiate radical photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with α-bromophenylacetate (EBPA) by exposure at 420 nm. This resulted in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) exhibiting a dispersity <1.3 with CuX2/L loading of ≲52 ppm. Deactivator reduction increased dispersity. MMA, styrene, and benzyl methacrylate successfully served as monomers for chain extension and block copolymerization experiments. This worked with CuX2/L ≥ 6.5 ppm, although conventional radical polymerization additionally competed. Adding of sodium pyruvate enabled radical photopolymerization under air. Modification of lignin with an aryl sulfonate group resulted in a one-component photoinitiator. It successfully initiated radical photopolymerization of a monomer mixture of (hydroxyethyl)methacrylate (HEMA) and urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA). Scale-up experiments approved practicability of photo-ATRP.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01593-0
spellingShingle Min Wang
Xiongfei Luo
Qunying Wang
Veronika Strehmel
Zhijun Chen
Shujun Li
Bernd Strehmel
Soda lignin as a sustainable photosensitive component for conventional and controlled radical photopolymerization
Communications Chemistry
title Soda lignin as a sustainable photosensitive component for conventional and controlled radical photopolymerization
title_full Soda lignin as a sustainable photosensitive component for conventional and controlled radical photopolymerization
title_fullStr Soda lignin as a sustainable photosensitive component for conventional and controlled radical photopolymerization
title_full_unstemmed Soda lignin as a sustainable photosensitive component for conventional and controlled radical photopolymerization
title_short Soda lignin as a sustainable photosensitive component for conventional and controlled radical photopolymerization
title_sort soda lignin as a sustainable photosensitive component for conventional and controlled radical photopolymerization
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01593-0
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AT qunyingwang sodaligninasasustainablephotosensitivecomponentforconventionalandcontrolledradicalphotopolymerization
AT veronikastrehmel sodaligninasasustainablephotosensitivecomponentforconventionalandcontrolledradicalphotopolymerization
AT zhijunchen sodaligninasasustainablephotosensitivecomponentforconventionalandcontrolledradicalphotopolymerization
AT shujunli sodaligninasasustainablephotosensitivecomponentforconventionalandcontrolledradicalphotopolymerization
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