{
  "abstract": "Chemical recycling of vinyl polymers to their constituent monomers offers a route to closed-loop reuse, but depolymerization of polymethacrylates typically requires very high temperatures or catalysts. Here, we show that simple Brønsted acids accelerate the depolymerization of RAFT-derived poly(methyl methacrylate). Addition of p-toluenesulfonic acid increased depolymerization by more than nine-fold within the first hour and by nearly an order of magnitude at longer reaction times relative to thermal depolymerization alone, and this acceleration compounded additively with green-light irradiation. The magnitude and duration of acceleration depended on the identity of the Brønsted acid, suggesting a role for the conjugate base beyond simple proton donation. These results suggest acid addition as a strategy for accelerating depolymerization of RAFT-derived polymers that is compatible with existing thermal and photochemical methods.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "George & Josephine Butler Polymer Research Laboratory, Center for Macromolecular Science & Engineering, Department of Chemistry, University of Florida PO Box 117200 Gainesville Florida 32611 USA"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Blanch Khouri Sader"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sagnik Bhattacharya"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Uriel A. Ngwa"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lily E. Diodati"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rhys W. Hughes"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Brent S. Sumerlin",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5749-5444"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/685pbmszwypat.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.1039/d6sc06540f",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13640613/",
  "id": "685pbmszwypat",
  "issns": [
    "2041-6520",
    "2041-6539"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc06540f",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-3.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 3.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Chemistry"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1605|Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214173951",
  "pdf_url": "https://pubs.rsc.org/sc/article-pdf/doi/10.1039/D6SC06540F/14775670/d6sc06540f.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13640613",
  "pmid": "42841003",
  "published": "2026-09-24",
  "publisher": "Royal Society of Chemistry",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/685pbmszwypat.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:23:47Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13640613",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc06540f"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1605|Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization",
      "subfield": "organic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Acid-assisted depolymerization of RAFT-derived PMMA",
  "title_text": "Acid-assisted depolymerization of RAFT-derived PMMA",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:20:54Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/685pbmszwypat",
  "venue": "Chemical Science",
  "versions": []
}