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Abstract Polymers with low ceiling temperatures (T_c) are highly desirable as they can depolymerize under mild conditions, but they typically suffer from demanding synthetic conditions and poor stability. We envision that this challenge can be addressed by developing high-T_cpolymers that can be converted into low-T_cpolymers on demand. Here, we demonstrate the mechanochemical generation of a low-T_cpolymer, poly(2,5-dihydrofuran) (PDHF), from an unsaturated polyether that contains cyclobutane-fused THF in each repeat unit. Upon mechanically induced cycloreversion of cyclobutane, each repeat unit generates three repeat units of PDHF. The resulting PDHF completely depolymerizes into 2,5-dihydrofuran in the presence of a ruthenium catalyst. The mechanochemical generation of the otherwise difficult-to-synthesize PDHF highlights the power of polymer mechanochemistry in accessing elusive structures. The concept of mechanochemically regulating theT_cof polymers can be applied to develop next-generation sustainable plastics. 

Phoenix, an Active Management Area in the desert Southwest US, is the 5th most populated city in the US. Scarce local groundwater and water transported from external resources must be managed in the presence of different types of energy sources. Local and regional decision-makers are faced with answering challenging questions on managing water, energy supply, and demand over a few years to several decades. Prediction and planning for the interdependency of these entities can benefit from modeling the water and energy systems as well as their interactions with one another. In this paper, the integrated WEAP and LEAP tools and a modeling framework that externalizes their hidden linkage to an interaction model are described and compared using the Phoenix AMA. Loose coupling enabled by interaction modeling is a key for decision-policies that should be grounded at the nexus of the water-energy system of systems 

Phoenix, an Active Management Area in the desert Southwest US, is the 5th most populated city in the US. Scarce local groundwater and water transported from external resources must be managed in the presence of different types of energy sources. Local and regional decision-makers are faced with answering challenging questions on managing water, energy supply, and demand over a few years to several decades. Prediction and planning for the interdependency of these entities can benefit from modeling the water and energy systems as well as their interactions with one another. In this paper, the integrated WEAP and LEAP tools and a modeling framework that externalizes their hidden linkage to an interaction model are described and compared using the Phoenix AMA. Loose coupling enabled by interaction modeling is a key for decision-policies that should be grounded at the nexus of the water-energy system of systems.