Zn-gallate catalyzed synthesis of high-performance CO2-polymers with tunable composition and architecture

Abstract

To address the urgent need for CO₂ utilization in climate change mitigation, this study presents a highly efficient Zn-gallate catalyzed polymer synthesis, directly incorporating CO₂ alongside lactide and propylene oxide. This versatile catalyst facilitates both one-step random and sequential polymerization strategies, providing access to a diverse range of CO₂-polymers. By precisely controlling composition and architecture, we synthesized random terpolymers, incorporating CO₂, with catalytic activities of 1.7–3.6 kg/g-cat and 9.4 − 36 wt% PLA, and block copolymers involving CO₂ with catalytic activities of 0.7–3.0 kg/g-cat and 15 − 76 wt% PLA. These precisely tailored CO₂-polymers display their potential to replace fossil-fuel-derived plastics like LDPE.