Amination–Degradation of Super Engineering Plastics for the Construction of Surface Emissive Resin Materials

Abstract The advent of a resource-recycling society has demanded the development of methodologies for the effective use of carbon resources. This requirement covers not only the 3R framework “reduce, reuse, and recycle” but also upcycling. In this context, super engineering plastics such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK) are considered as promising plastic materials because they can be used as monomaterials, i.e., without additives, by virtue of their high stability, which also renders them suitable for their upcycling into high-value and recyclable plastics. Herein, we report a degradation methodology for PEEK and polysulfone (PSU) resins using aza-aromatic compounds such as phenothiazine. This amination–degradation reaction cleaves the polymer main chains to form donor–acceptor–donor-type molecules, which allow functionalizing only the resin surface to produce luminescent PEEK powder and plates. These surface-functionalized PEEK materials maintain high thermal stability and are applicable as photoredox catalysts, demonstrating the upcycling of PEEK into new value-added products.