Valuing CO2 in the development of polymer materials

Abstract

Reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a major challenge for humanity as well as for living species on Earth. Not least because of the adverse effects of climate warming caused by the anthropological emissions of the CO2. We are interested in a complementary approach to capturing and storing CO2, which is to use CO2 as a raw material for chemical reactions. Specifically, it is a question of using the CO2 for the synthesis of certain types of biocompatible polymers. For the time being, these remain restricted to polycarbonates for economic reasons. The use of CO2 is also motivated by its abundance as a potentially unlimited source of carbon. The challenge of this chemical process is to use appropriate catalysts to synthesize polycarbonates in sufficient quantities and with interesting physical properties. There is also talk of producing biodegradable and biocompatible polycarbonates to ensure a relatively green footprint compared to conventional polycarbonate production processes.