Data from: Alkylidene functionalization produces highly recyclable and scalable polyhydroxyalkanoates

Recyclable polymers that can be produced at scale and readily tuned within
the same polymer framework for specific properties is critical to
achieving a circular materials economy. To this end, synthetic
poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s (PHAs) have emerged as high-performance,
chemically-recyclable variants of biological PHAs, but their difficult
monomer syntheses and sub-optimal recycling efficiencies pose challenges
for large-scale deployment. Here, we investigate a β-isopropylidene PHA,
i-PHA, for which the lactone monomer can be synthesized by existing
industrial methods from biomass-derived isobutyric acid. The alkylidene
substituent prevents decarboxylative degradation typically observed during
PHA depolymerization, enabling near-quantitative chemical recycling to
monomer. Controlled hydrogenation of the β-isopropylidene side group
produces PHAs with diverse performance metrics competitive with a range of
commodity polymers, spanning strong fibers to ductile thermoplastics to
superglue epoxy resins.