Post-consumer plastic waste in the environment has driven the scientific community to develop deconstruction methods that yield valued substances from these synthetic macromolecules. Electrocatalysis is a well-established method for achieving challenging transformations in small molecule synthesis. Here we present the first electro-chemical depolymerization of polyoxymethylene—a highly crystalline engineering thermoplastic (Delrin®)—into its repolymerizable monomer, formaldehyde/1,3,5-trioxane, under ambient conditions. We investigate this electrochemical deconstruction by employing solvent screening, cyclic voltammetry, divided cell studies, electrolysis with redox mediators, small molecule model studies, and control experiments. Our findings determine that the reaction proceeds via a heterogeneous electro-mediated acid depolymerization mechanism. The bifunctional role of the co-solvent 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) is also revealed. This study demonstrates the potential of electromediated depolymerization serving as an important role in sustainable chemistry by merging the concepts of renewable energy and circular plastic economy.

环境中的消费后塑料垃圾促使科学界开发解构方法，从这些合成大分子中产生有价值的物质。电催化是在小分子合成中实现具有挑战性的转化的成熟方法。在这里，我们介绍了聚甲醛（一种高度结晶的工程热塑性塑料 （Delrin®））在环境条件下首次电化学解聚成其可再聚合的单体甲醛/1,3,5-三恶烷。我们通过采用溶剂筛选、循环伏安法、分体电池研究、氧化还原介质电解、小分子模型研究和对照实验来研究这种电化学解构。我们的研究结果确定反应通过非均相电介导的酸解聚机制进行。助溶剂 1,1,1,3,3,3-六氟-2-丙醇 （HFIP） 的双功能作用也得到了揭示。这项研究通过融合可再生能源和循环塑料经济的概念，证明了电介导解聚在可持续化学中发挥重要作用的潜力。