Unlock the potential of mixed olefins from the Fischer-Tropsch process: Direct synthesis of functional copolymers without pre-separation

Fischer-Tropsch (FT) products derived from syngas, which in turn can be produced from various feedstocks including fossil resources, biomass and waste plastics, can contain up to 60 % linear α-olefins. However, the full potential of FT products remains largely untapped. In this study, we demonstrated that the α-olefins in the FT products, without purification or pre-separation, could be directly copolymerize with maleic anhydride (MA) via a simple free radical polymerization procedure, resulting in high yield (>80 %) α-olefin-MA copolymer. The copolymers, with molecular weights ranging from 2000 to 12,200 g mol⁻¹, showed good solubility in various organic solvents and exhibited good thermal stability. These copolymers contain a significant amount of anhydride groups, which can be modified to produce water-dispersible maleamic acid copolymers. The study presents a novel utilization strategy for FT products, and the resulting copolymers have broad application potentials.