▎ 摘　　要

NOVELTY - A method for depolymerizing a substituted vinyl polymer involves heating a mixture comprising (i) a vinyl polymer comprising one or more vinyl monomer units comprising at least one of a pendant aromatic group and a pendant ester group and (ii) a catalyst comprising at least one of a metal catalyst and a carbon-carbon network catalyst to a temperature above a melting temperature of the vinyl polymer, thereby at least partially depolymerizing the vinyl polymer and forming at least one of a corresponding monomer product and a corresponding oligomer product. The catalyst is in solid form in the mixture at the temperature to which the mixture is heated. USE - Method for depolymerizing a substituted vinyl polymer e.g. polystyrene. ADVANTAGE - The depolymerization catalysts are inexpensive and non-toxic, and the catalysts can be re-used in multiple successive depolymerization processes without being depleted, etc. Similarly, the depolymerization method can achieve relatively high selectivity values or yields for the desired depolymerization product, whether monomers or oligomers, for example by selecting or controlling one or more of reaction temperature, reaction time, and reaction pressure. 0058 The depolymerization method according to the disclosure is particularly effective in that it can achieve relatively high levels of conversion of the original vinyl polymer feed into desired monomers or oligomers corresponding to the original vinyl polymer. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis similarly confirmed that the NaCl-catalyzed depolymerization sample had properties closer to those of commercial PS as compared to the pyrolysis control sample.