skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Beckett, Kristen B"

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Developing effective catalysis to address end-of-life Nylon pollution is urgent yet remains underdeveloped. Nylon-6 is a resilient synthetic plastic and a major contributor to ocean pollution. Here, we report a metallocene catalytic system based on earth-abundant early transition and lanthanide metals that mediates Nylon-6 depolymerization at unprecedented rates up to 810 (ε-caprolactam)$ mol(Cat.)1$h1 at 240C in R99% yield. This solventless process operates with catalyst loadings as low as 0.04 mol % at temperatures as low as 220C—themildest Nylon-6 depolymerization conditions reported to date. This metallocene catalysis can be carried out in a simulated continuous process, and the resulting ε-caprolactam can be re-polymerized to higher-quality Nylon-6. Experimental and DFT analyses identify effective depolymerization pathways involving catalytic intra-Nylon-chain ‘‘unzipping’’ assisted by p-ligand effects and inter-chain ‘‘hopping.’’ A robust chelating ansa-yttrocene is particularly effective in depolymerizing diverse commodity end-of-life articles, such as fishing nets, carpets, clothing, and plastic mixtures. 
    more » « less