High Molar Mass Polycarbonates as Closed-Loop Recyclable Thermoplastics

Abstract

Using carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to make recyclable thermoplastics could reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with polymer manufacturing. CO 2 /cyclic epoxide ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) allows for >30 wt % of the polycarbonate to derive from CO 2 ; so far, the field has largely focused on oligocarbonates. In contrast, efficient catalysts for high molar mass polycarbonates are underinvestigated, and the resulting thermoplastic structure−property relationships, processing, and recycling need to be elucidated. This work describes a new organometallic Mg(II)Co(II) catalyst that combines high productivity, low loading tolerance, and the highest polymerization control to yield polycarbonates with number average molecular weight (M n ) values from 4 to 130 kg mol −1 , with narrow, monomodal distributions. It is used in the ROCOP of CO 2 with bicyclic epoxides to produce a series of samples, each with M n > 100 kg mol −1 , of poly(cyclohexene carbonate) (PCHC), poly(vinyl-cyclohexene carbonate) (PvCHC), poly(ethyl-cyclohexene carbonate) (PeCHC, by hydrogenation of PvCHC), and poly(cyclopentene carbonate) (PCPC). All these materials are amorphous thermoplastics, with high glass transition temperatures (85 < T g < 126 °C, by differential scanning calorimetry) and high thermal stability (T d > 260 °C). The cyclic ring substituents mediate the materials' chain entanglements, viscosity, and glass transition temperatures. Specifically, PCPC was found to have 10× lower entanglement molecular weight (M e ) n and 100× lower zero-shear viscosity compared to those of PCHC, showing potential as a future thermoplastic. All these high molecular weight polymers are fully recyclable, either by reprocessing or by using the Mg(II)Co(II) catalyst for highly selective depolymerizations to epoxides and CO 2 . PCPC shows the fastest depolymerization rates, achieving an activity of 2500 h −1 and >99% selectivity for cyclopentene oxide and CO 2 .

Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene-like Polycarbonates: Toward Sustainable and Recyclable Fibers

“…Furthermore, we examined the chemical recyclability of the polymers, which present a powerful tool for circularizing the plastic economy, as it can not only reduce the need for continuous feedstock sourcing but also eliminate the accumulation of plastic waste . With the in-chain carbonate units, the chemical recycling of PLPC monomers can be easily enabled by alcoholysis.…”