Dicarboxylic acid promoted immortal copolymerization for controllable synthesis of low‐molecular weight oligo(carbonate‐ether) diols with tunable carbonate unit content

Low‐molecular weight oligo(carbonate‐ether) diols are important raw materials for polyurethane formation, which with tunable carbonate unit content (CU) may endow new thermal and mechanical performances to polyurethane. Herein, facile synthesis of oligo(carbonate‐ether) diols with number average molecular weight (M_n) below 2000 g mol^?1 and CU tunable between 40% and 75% are realized in high activity by immortal copolymerization of CO₂/propylene oxide (PO) using zinc‐cobalt double metal cyanide complex (Zn‐Co‐DMCC) in the presence of sebacic acid (SA). M_n of the oligomer is in good linear relationship to the mole ratio of PO and SA (PO/SA) and hence can be precisely controlled by adjusting PO/SA. Besides, the molecular weight distribution is quite narrow due to the rapid reversible chain transfer in the immortal copolymerization. High pressure and low temperature are favorable for raising CU. In all the reactions, the weight fraction of propylene carbonate (W_PC) can even be controlled as low as 2.0 wt %, and the catalytic activity of Zn‐Co‐DMCC is above 1.0 kgg^?1 cat. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Double metal cyanide catalyst prepared using H3Co(CN)6 for high carbonate fraction and molecular weight control in carbon dioxide/propylene oxide copolymerization

Simple mixing of H₃Co(CN)₆ and ZnCl₂ in methanol resulted in precipitates of [ZnCl]⁺₂[HCo(CN)₆]^2?, constituting a new type of double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst exhibiting a high performance in carbon dioxide (CO₂)/propylene oxide (PO) copolymerization. High‐molecular‐weight poly(propylene carbonate‐co‐propylene oxide)s [poly(PC‐co‐PO)s] (M_n～40,000) were consistently obtained with high carbonate fractions (～60 mol %) and a high selectivity (>95%) with the new type of DMC catalyst. Conventional preparation of the DMC catalyst using K₃Co(CN)₆ and ZnCl₂ required removing KCl through thorough washing and resulted in lower carbonate fractions (10–40 mol %), which depended on the washing conditions. Feeding hydrophobic diols such as 1,10‐decanediol as chain transfer agent preserved the high carbonate fraction (～60%) and enabled precise control of the molecular weight, including preparation of a low‐molecular‐weight poly(PC‐co‐PO)‐diol (M_n ～2000), which was a flowing viscous liquid with a low T_g (?30 °C) suitable for polyurethane applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4811–4818     

Copolymerization of Carbonyl Sulfide and Propylene Oxide via a Heterogeneous Prussian Blue Analogue Catalyst with High Productivity and Selectivity

This study demonstrates the superiority of a stable and well-defined heterogeneous cobalt hexacyanocobaltate (Co₃[Co(CN)₆]₂), a typical cobalt Prussian Blue Analogue (CoCo-PBA) that catalyzes the copolymerization of carbonyl sulfide (COS) and propylene oxide (PO) to produce poly(propylene monothiocarbonate)s (PPMTC). The number-average molecular weights of the PPMTC were 66.4 to 139.4 kg/mol, with a polydispersity of 2.0–3.9. The catalyst productivity reached 1040 g polymer/g catalyst (12.0 h). The oxygen-sulfur exchange reaction (O/S ER), which would generate random thiocarbonate and carbonate units, was effectively suppressed, and thus the selectivity of the monothiocarbonate over carbonate linkages was up to >99%. It was shown that no cyclic thiocarbonate byproduct was produced during the heterogeneous catalysis of COS/PO copolymerization using CoCo-PBA as the catalyst. The content of monothiocarbonate and ether units in the copolymer chain could be regulated by tuning the feeding amount of COS.     

High yield synthesis of biodegradable poly(propylene carbonate) from carbon dioxide and propylene oxide

A novel SalenCo^III (2,4‐dinitrophenoxy) (Salen = N,N'‐bis(3,5‐di‐tert‐butylsalicylidene)‐1,2‐cyclohexanediamino) and 1,10‐phenanthroline monohydrate catalyst system was designed and employed for the copolymerization of CO₂ and propylene oxide (PO). The perfectly alternating copolymerization of CO₂ and PO proceeds effectively under middle temperature and pressure to yield poly(propylene carbonate) with a high yield and a high number average molecular weight of polymer. The structure of polymer was characterized by the IR and NMR measurements. The perfectly alternating copolymer was confirmed. The MALDI‐TOF spectrum insinuates that the copolymerization of CO₂ and PO was initiated by H₂O. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polymeric aluminum porphyrin: Controllable synthesis of ultra-low molecular weight CO2-based polyols

Carbon dioxide-based polyols with ultra-low molecular weight (ULMW, M_n < 1000 g/mol) are emergent polyurethane precursors with economic and environmental benefits. However, the lack of effective proton-tolerant catalytic systems limits the development of this field. In this work, the polymeric aluminum porphyrin catalyst (PAPC) system was applied to the copolymerization of CO₂ and propylene oxide, where sebacic acid, bisphenol A, poly(ethylene glycol), and water were used as chain transfer agents to achieve the controlled synthesis of CO₂-polyols. The molecular weight of the resulting CO₂-polyols could be facilely regulated in the range of 400–930 g/mol at low catalyst loadings, fully demonstrating its catalytic advantages of high activity, high product selectivity, and excellent proton tolerance of PAPC. Meanwhile, the catalytic efficiency of PAPC could reach up to 2.1–5.2 kg/g under organic CTA conditions, even reaching 1.9 kg/g using water as the CTA. The cPC content could be controlled within 1.0 wt% under the optimized conditions, indicating the excellent controllability of the PAPC system. ULMW CO₂-polyols combines the advantages of low viscosity (∼3000 mPa s at 25 °C), low glass transition temperature (∼−73 °C), and high carbonate unit content (∼40%), which is important for the development of high-performance polyurethanes.     

硼氢化稀土-二乙基锌-甘油三元体系催化环氧丙烷与 CO2 共聚反应

 由硼氢化稀土、二乙基锌和甘油制备了三元体系 Ln(BH₄)₃•3THF-ZnEt₂-Gly (甘油) 用于催化环氧丙烷 (PO) 与 CO₂ 共聚反应, 详细考察了催化剂组成、不同稀土元素和溶剂性质对聚合反应的影响. 通过正交试验优化的催化剂组成和聚合条件为: Y(BH₄)₃•3THF-ZnEt₂-Gly (摩尔比 = 3:60:20) 催化剂, 乙二醇二甲醚溶剂, PO/Y 摩尔比 1000, [Y] = 6.67 mmol/L, p(CO₂) = 3.0 MPa, 80^oC, 6 h. 最高催化效率可达 4908 g /(mol•h); 碳酸酯含量为 95.7%, 数均分子量为 6.97x10⁴.     

Bifunctional cobalt Salen complex: a highly selective catalyst for the coupling of CO2 and epoxides under mild conditions

A bifunctional cobalt Salen complex containing a Lewis acid metal center and two covalent bonded Lewis bases on the ligand was designed and used for the coupling of CO₂ and epoxides under mild conditions. The complex exhibited excellent activity (turnover frequency = 673/h) and selectivity (no less than 97%) for polymer formation in the copolymerization of propylene oxide (PO) and CO₂ at an appropriate combination of all variables. High molecular weight of 110 200 and yield 99% were achieved at a higher [PO]/[complex] ratio of 6000:1. The complex also worked satisfactorily for the terpolymerization of CO₂, PO and cyclohexene oxide (CHO), without formation of cyclic carbonate or ether linkages to give the polycarbonate. High cyclohexene carbonate unit content in the CO₂/PO/CHO terpolymers resulted in enhanced thermal stability. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new copolymerization process leading to poly(propylene carbonate) with a highly enhanced yield from carbon dioxide and propylene oxide

Using excessively loaded propylene oxide (PO) as a solvent, the copolymerization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and PO was carried out with zinc glutarate catalyst, consequently producing poly(propylene carbonate) of high molecular weight in a high yield (64–70 g polymer per gram of catalyst) never achieved before. Both the PO used as solvent and the excessively loaded CO₂ were fully recoverable, respectively, and reusable for their copolymerization, indicating that this is a clean, green polymerization process to convert CO₂ to its polycarbonate. The polymer yield was further improved by scaling up the copolymerization process. Among zinc glutarate catalysts prepared through several synthetic routes, one from zinc oxide delivered the highest yield in the copolymerization. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1863–1876, 1999     

Copolymerization of carbon dioxide and propylene oxide using an aluminum porphyrin system and its components

The catalytic activities of tetraphenylporphinatoaluminum chloride (TPPAlCl) and its propylene oxide adduct (TPPAl(PO)₂Cl) were investigated in detail together with a quarternary salt Et₄NBr for the copolymerization of carbon dioxide and propylene oxide. In addition, for the components and starting raw materials of the catalyst systems, catalytic activities were examined for the copolymerization. The TPPAlCl catalyst delivered oligomers containing ether linkages to a large extent, regardless of its PO adduction. And cyclic propylene carbonate, as byproduct, was formed in a very small portion. Using the TPPAlCl coupled with Et₄NBr as a catalyst system, the formation of ether linkages was reduced significantly in the copolymerization; however, the obtained oligomer still contained ether linkages of 25.0 mol % in the backbone. On the other hand, the formation of cyclic carbonate was increased to 22.4 mol % relative to the oligomer product. The results indicate that the salt, which was coupled with the TPPAlCl catalyst, plays a key role in reducing the formation of ether linkage in the oligomer and, however, in enhancing the formation of cyclic carbonate. Similar results were obtained for the copolymerization catalyzed by the TPPAl(PO)₂Cl/Et₄NBr system. That is, the formation of ether linkages was not restricted further by the PO adduction of the TPPAlCl component in the catalyst system. Only oligomers with a relatively high molecular weight were produced. This indicates that the PO adduction of the TPPAlCl component contributes highly to the initiation and propagation step in the oligomerization, consequently leading to a relatively high molecular weight oligomer. In contrast, the Et₄NBr, as well as the Et₂AlCl, produced only cyclic carbonate in a very low yield. Furthermore, tetraphenylporphine exhibited no catalytic activity, regardless of using together with Et₄NBr. On the other hand, the Et₂AlCl coupled with Et₄NBr provided a low molecular weight oligomer having ether linkages of 92.3 mol % in addition to the cyclic carbonate. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3329–3336, 1999     

Controlled synthesis of CO2-diol from renewable starter by reducing acid value through preactivation approach

Synthesis of polyols from carbon dioxide (CO₂) is attractive from the viewpoint of sustainable development of polyurethane industry; it is also interesting to adjust the structure of the CO₂-polyols for versatile requirement of polyurethane. However, when renewable malonic acid was used as a starter, the copolymerization reaction of CO₂ and propylene oxide (PO) was uncontrollable, since it proceeded slowly (13 h) and produced 40.4 wt% of byproduct propylene carbonate (PC) with a low productivity of 0.34 kg/g. A careful analysis disclosed that the acid value of the copolymerization medium was the key factor for controlling the copolymerization reaction. Therefore, a preactivation approach was developed to dramatically reduce the acid value to ~0.6 mg(KOH)/g by homopolymerization of PO into oligo-ether-diol under the initiation of malonic acid, which ensured the controllable copolymerization, where the copolymerization time could be shortened by 77% from 13 to 3 h, the PC content was reduced by 76% from 40.4 wt% to 9.4 wt%, and the productivity increased by 61% from 0.34 to 0.55 kg/g. Moreover, by means of preactivation approach, the molecular weight as well as the carbonate unit content in the CO₂-diol was also controllable.     

A Novel [OSSO]-Type Chromium(III) Complex as a Versatile Catalyst for Copolymerization of Carbon Dioxide with Epoxides

A new chromium(III) complex, bearing a bis-thioether-diphenolate [OSSO]-type ligand, was found to be an efficient catalyst in the copolymerization of CO₂ and epoxides to achieve poly(propylene carbonate), poly(cyclohexene carbonate), poly(hexene carbonate) and poly(styrene carbonate), as well as poly(propylene carbonate)(cyclohexene carbonate) and poly(propylene carbonate)(hexene carbonate) terpolymers.     

A one‐step strategy for aliphatic poly(carbonate‐ester)s with high performance derived from CO2, propylene oxide and l‐lactide

To improve the performance of PPC, aliphatic poly(carbonate‐ester)s were prepared in one‐step strategy from the terpolymerization of CO₂, propylene oxide (PO), and l ‐lactide (L ‐LA) catalyzed by zinc glutarate. Consequently giving high‐molecular weight terpolymers (PPCLAs) in a very high yield (8450.8–9435.8 g mol^?1 of Zn). The resulting terpolymers PPCLAs were characterized by ¹H NMR, showing that PPCLAs had an almost alternating structure for the components of CO₂, PO, and L‐LA. The influence of molecular weight and L‐LA content on the properties of PPCLAs was also investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis (measurements revealed that the glass transition temperature (T _g) and thermal decomposition temperature (T _d) of PPCLAs are all much higher than those of PPC and increased with increasing molecular weight and L‐LA content. Tensile tests showed that the high mechanical properties of PPCLAs are due to the introduction of L‐LA into the copolymerization of CO₂ and PO. Furthermore, PPCLA4 exhibits high degradability, and after 10 weeks, the weight loss increases up to 6.58%, which is significantly higher than that of PPC of 4.58%. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Facile preparation and synergy study of DMC/ZnGA composite catalyst for the synthesis of oligo (propylene‐carbonate) diols

To overcome the weak carbon dioxide (CO₂) conversion ability of Zn‐Co double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst, zinc glutarate (ZnGA) catalyst was introduced into the DMC catalytic system and applied for the synthesis of oligo (propylene‐carbonate) diols. The DMC/ZnGA composite catalyst (mass ratio = 10:1) exhibited an excellent synergistic effect which had enhanced CO₂ activation ability, high yield and good selectivity. In copolymerization process, ZnGA catalyst not only provided activated CO₂ for DMC catalyst, but also transferred the propagating chain with more alternating structures to DMC catalyst. Both of the two effects increased the carbonate content in the final products. Overall, DMC catalyst dedicated to the polymer chain growth, while the increased CO₂ conversion mainly attributed to ZnGA catalyst. Oligo (propylene‐carbonate) diols with carbonate unit content of 45.1 mol%, Mn of 1228 g/mol, W_PC of 4.3 wt% and high yield of 1689 g/g _cat was obtained.     

Facile synthesis of poly(ether carbonate)s via copolymerization of CO2 and propylene oxide under combinatorial catalyst of rare earth ternary complex and double metal cyanide complex

Poly(ether carbonate)s (PPCs) with carbonate unit (CU) content ranging from 57.8 to 97.1% and number average molecular weight (M_n) around 100 kg/mol were conveniently prepared via copolymerization of CO₂ and propylene oxide under combinatorial catalyst of rare earth ternary (RET) complex and double metal cyanide (DMC) complex. Enhancement of catalytic activity and reduction of propylene carbonate byproduct were realized due to synergetic effect of the two metal catalysts, where DMC can be activated in the presence of RET. Solubility fractionation confirmed that the obtained PPCs were copolymers, not physical blends of each polymer. Thermal performances of the PPCs were closely related to their CU content, their glass transition temperatures (T_g) were tunable in the range of 6.7–36.3 °C, which decreased with decreasing CU content, while their thermal stabilities were enhanced significantly, an increase of 50.5 °C in 50% weight loss temperature was observed when CU content decreased from 97.1 to 57.8%. Both shear storage modulus and complex viscosity increased with increasing CU content, which became more obvious at lower frequency, featuring well with the CU content in the PPCs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Study of electronic effect in bifunctional catalysts for the copolymerization of CO2 and PO/CHO

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an easily available renewable carbon source that can be used as a comonomer in the catalytic ring-opening polymerization of epoxides to form aliphatic polycarbonates. Herein, a series of new Salen-Co(III) bifunctional catalysts were synthesized for the first time, and they were studied to catalyze the copolymerization of CO₂ and propylene oxide (PO)/cyclohexene oxide (CHO). At the same time, the effects of reaction conditions (electronic effect, temperature, time) on catalytic activity and selectivity were investigated. The results show that the Salen-Co(III) complexes with electron-withdrawing groups have higher selectivity and activity for propylene carbonate (PPC)/cyclohexylene carbonate (PCHC). At the same time, the Salen-Co(III) complexes can better catalyze the copolymerization of CHO and CO₂ than that of PO and CO₂. The catalytic efficiency of the four complexes increased with increasing temperature, and the best reaction condition is 80°C, 30 min and 2 MPa of CO₂.     

Asymmetric,regio‐ and stereo‐selective alternating copolymerization of CO2 and propylene oxide catalyzed by chiral chromium Salan complexes

Chiral chromium complexes of tetradentate N,N′‐disubstituted bis(aminophenoxide) (designated as Salan, a saturated version of Schiff‐base Salen ligand) in conjunction with an ionic quaternary ammonium salt can efficiently catalyze the copolymerization of CO₂ with racemic propylene oxide (rac‐PO) at mild conditions to selectively afford completely alternating poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) with ～ 95% head‐to‐tail linkages and moderate enantioselectivity. These new catalyst systems predominantly exceed the previously much‐studied SalenCr(III) systems in catalytic activity, polymer enantioselectivity, and stereochemistry control. The chiral diamine backbone, sterically hindered substitute groups on the aromatic rings, and the presence of sp³‐hydridized amino donors and its N,N′‐disubstituted groups in chiral SalanCr(III) complexes all play significant roles in controlling polymer stereochemistry and enantioselectivity. Furthermore, a relationship between polycarbonate enantioselectivity and its head‐to‐tail linkages in relation to regioselective ring‐opening of the epoxide was also discussed on the basis of stereochemical studies of PPCs derived from the copolymerization of CO₂ with chiral PO at various conditions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6102–6113, 2008     

Crosslinkable poly(propylene carbonate): High‐yield synthesis and performance improvement

A crosslinking strategy was used to improve the thermal and mechanical performance of poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC): PPC bearing a small moiety of pendant C?C groups was synthesized by the terpolymerization of allyl glycidyl ether (AGE), propylene oxide (PO), and carbon dioxide (CO₂). Almost no yield loss was found in comparison with that of the PO and CO₂ copolymer when the concentration of AGE units in the terpolymer was less than 5 mol %. Once subjected to UV‐radiation crosslinking, the crosslinked PPC film showed an elastic modulus 1 order of magnitude higher than that of the uncrosslinked one. Moreover, crosslinked PPC showed hot‐set elongation at 65 °C of 17.2% and permanent deformation approaching 0, whereas they were 35.3 and 17.2% for uncrosslinked PPC, respectively. Therefore, the PPC application window was enlarged to a higher temperature zone by the crosslinking strategy. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5329–5336, 2006     

Anionic Copolymerization of Carbonyl Sulfide with Epoxides via Alkali Metal Alkoxides

Carbonyl sulfide (COS), an analogue of carbon dioxide (CO₂), can be converted to CO₂ via the carbonic anhydride enzymes widely existing in nature. COS is an ideal monomer for making poly(monothiocarbonate)s, which are difficult to synthesize by traditional methods. Herein, for the first time, we describe an anionic copolymerization of COS with epoxides using alkali metal alkoxides as the catalysts (initiators), affording poly(monothiocarbonate)s with 100% alternating degree, >99% tail‐to‐head (T‐H) content, high number‐average molecular weights (M_ns, up to 90.3 kg/mol) with narrow molecular weight distributions (Đ=M_w/M_n, 1.05—1.31 for COS/propylene oxide copolymers) under solvent‐free and mild conditions. Oxygen‐sulfur exchange reaction (O/S ER), which can result in the production of contaminated dithiocarbonate and carbonate units in the main chain, was nearly completely depressed at 0 ^oC. In addition, in contrast to previously reported salen chromium (iron) complexes that required multiple synthetic steps, this work provides simple, low‐cost, and effective catalysts for making colorless sulfur‐containing polymers.     

Degradation and Stabilization of Poly(propylene carbonate)

Low‐molecular‐weight poly(propylene carbonate) resins, useful for polyurethane preparation, surfactant production and many other purposes, were obtained by copolymerization of CO₂ and propylene oxide. This study describes an investigation into their stability against thermal degradation, offers details of the random chain‐breaking and “unzipping” processes, and suggests possible methods to avoid degradation.     

Effects of the structure and morphology of zinc glutarate on the fixation of carbon dioxide into polymer

Zinc glutarates were synthesized from zinc oxides with varying purities via different stirring routes. The particle size and structure of these zinc glutarates were determined by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and the laser particle size analyzer technique. The results demonstrated that the crystallinity and crystalline perfectness of zinc glutarate are the crucial factors that affect the catalytic activity for the copolymerization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and propylene oxide (PO). Additionally, the catalyst with a small particle size dramatically increased the yield of the copolymerization between CO₂ and PO. High‐molecular‐weight and regular molecular structure poly(propylene carbonate)s (PPC)s were obtained from CO₂ and PO with the synthesized zinc glutarates. Very high catalytic activity of 160.4 g polymer/g catalyst was afforded. The NMR technique revealed that the PPC copolymer exhibits an exact alternating copolymer structure. The relationships between the crystallinity and the particle size of catalyst with the catalytic activity are correlated and discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3579–3591, 2002