Stereoselective Depolymerization of Chiral Polyesters

This work establishes a significant advancement in the field by demonstrating chiral recognition and conversion of polymers using synthetic catalysts. Employing the representative chiral polymer polylactic acid (PLA) as a model substrate, a specially designed catalyst BisSalen-Al with confined chiral cavity facilitated the stereoselective depolymerization of PLA into chiral lactide (LA) monomers. In depth exploration of the relationship between catalyst structure and stereoselectivity revealed the chiral recognition mechanism of polymer stereochemistry and catalyst chiral cavity matching. This work provides a novel strategy for the stereoselective conversion of chiral polymers and significantly advances the expansion of asymmetric catalysis into macromolecular systems.