Chemically Recyclable Thermoplastic Elastomers: Preparation, Properties, and On-Demand Depolymerization

Great advancements have been achieved in the past decade for chemically recyclable polymers that can be selectively depolymerized back to their monomers to address the end-of-life issue of plastics. Nevertheless, the technologically important thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) with on-demand depolymerization property have received less attention largely due to their intrinsically complicated multiblock architectures and challenges involved in the selective chemical recycling of different monomers. This review highlights the recent achievements of chemically recyclable TPEs by focusing on their preparation, mechanical properties, and on-demand depolymerization and recycling. A variety of TPEs are introduced according to their backbone, including copolyesters, polyurethanes, and polyolefins. The dynamically cross-linked elastomers with chemical recyclability are also briefly discussed. Finally, the current challenges and possible future directions for chemically recyclable TPEs are also addressed.