Ultra-Productive Upcycling CO<sub>2</sub> into Polycarbonate Polyols via Borinane-Based Bifunctional Organocatalysts
Chao Chen, Yves Gnanou, Xiaoshuang Feng
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide We herein report the synthesis of commercially attractive low molar mass polycarbonate polyols obtained through the ring-opening copolymerization of CO 2 and epoxides, using a series of borinane-based bifunctional organocatalysts in the presence of chain transfer agents (CTAs). These catalysts enable CO 2 /epoxide copolymerizations with high linear vs cyclic selectivity and outstanding productivity for both poly(cyclohexane carbonate) polyols (18.2 kg/g catalyst) and poly(ether propylene carbonate) polyols (1.1 kg/g catalyst). These copolymerizations exhibit all features of living processes; the molar mass of the resulting polycarbonates could be precisely controlled by varying the [monomer]/CTA ratio. The high performance of these catalysts implying a low loading shows a great potential for applications in large-scale preparation of CO 2 -based polyols.