CHAPTER 7: Carbon Dioxide Copolymer From Delicate Metal Catalyst: New Structure Leading to Practical Performance

This Chapter gives an overview of the advanced catalysis of CO₂/epoxide copolymerization and the unique material properties of the resulting copolymers. Emphasis is placed on the hope of CO₂ based copolymers, i.e. the poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) family, including high-molecular-weight copolymers with alternative structures for the biodegradable plastics industry and low-molecular-weight CO₂ polyols with non-alternative structures as new building blocks in the polyurethane industry. Delicate catalyst design for the copolymerization of CO₂ and other functionalized epoxides, and multicomponent CO₂ based copolymers with diversity are also briefly discussed.