From oxygenated monomers to well-defined low-carbon polymers

Organocatalytic Synthesis of Poly(thiocarbonate) from Xylose and Carbonyl Sulfide

“…The catalytic center of borane possesses a weaker coordination ability and is harder to poison by sulfur than metal Cr. The borane-based binary organocatalysts have made great success in ring-opening (co)­polymerization of cyclic ethers in recent years. − At room temperature, organocatalytic copolymerization exhibits TOF values of up to 70 h –1 and yields a colorless and well-defined poly­(XO- alt -COS).…”

Highly active aggregate catalysts for the synthesis of high-molecular-weight polyesters via copolymerization of epoxides and cyclic anhydrides

“…4,5 However, these methods suffer from high energy costs and the limited availability of structurally diverse monomers, which hinders their further development. The ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) of cyclic anhydrides and epoxides presents a promising alternative route to polyesters, [6][7][8] rooting in the atom economy and tuning of polyester properties with different monomer combinations (Scheme 1a). As the key decisive factor in this copolymerization, various catalysts have been developed over the past decades, ranging from experience-based heterogeneous to tailor-made homogeneous types.…”

Chemical recycling of CO2-based polycarbonates to sulfur-containing polymers

“…Advances in polymerization technology have made industrial production of CO 2 -PC more cost-effective, 7 prompting extensive applications of CO 2 -PC. 8–15 Despite being recognized a as “green polymer”, waste CO 2 -PC is ultimately degraded by microbes into inorganic substances such as CO 2 and water, 16 resulting in low economic efficiency.…”