The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Batch photopolymerization is often limited by insufficient light penetration, heat accumulation, and kinetic inhomogeneity, which hinder precise control over polymer structure and scalability. We demonstrated a continuous-flow synthetic platform that integrates photoinduced polymerization and thermally driven degradation within a single system. Random copolymers were rapidly synthesized under low light intensity (6 mW cm⁻²) within 360 s while maintaining quantitative and steady-state conversion over a 100-fold scale-up. Remarkably, the resulting copolymers underwent complete thermal depolymerization under continuous-flow conditions without any catalyst, enabling reuse. This reversible photo-thermal flow process highlights the potential of a scalable and closed-loop chemical system in the design of dynamic and degradable materials.