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Photocatalytic-Driven Self-Degradation of Polyester Microplastics Under Solar Light

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Abstract

Plastic wastes threaten the environment security. Degradable materials were considered as the most promising way to solve the problem of plastic pollution. In this work, the cationic dyeable polyester modified with photocatalyst g-C3N4/TiO2 was synthesized by centrifugal electrospinning, which had a photodegradable function under solar illumination. The result indicated that cationic dyeable polyester modified with 5% g-C3N4/TiO2 composite had excellent self-degradation ability in water environment under solar illumination. After 400 h illumination, the polyester matrix could be almost completely degraded. In addition, degradation products and degradation pathway were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The chain scission of polyester macromolecule led to the generation of formic acid, sodium sulfate, and short chain substances, and then they were degraded into CO2 and H2O. The degradation of the macromolecular chain was from large to small, from small to without. The design of the degradable polyester material was conducive to reducing the generation of polyester micro plastic pollutants.

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All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51133006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Engineering Lab for Textile Fiber Materials & Processing Technology (Zhejiang), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, 310018, Hangzhou, China

    Yunjin Zhong, Bingying Zhang, Zhexin Zhu, Gangqiang Wang, Xueting Mei, Yu Fang & Wangyang Lu

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  1. Yunjin Zhong
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  2. Bingying Zhang
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Correspondence to Wangyang Lu.

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Zhong, Y., Zhang, B., Zhu, Z. et al. Photocatalytic-Driven Self-Degradation of Polyester Microplastics Under Solar Light. J Polym Environ 31, 2415–2423 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-023-02763-8

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