A DFT Study on the Co-polymerization of CO2 and Ethylene: Feasibility Analysis for the Direct Synthesis of Polyethylene Esters.

The co-polymerization of CO2 with the non-polar monomer ethylene, though highly desirable, still presents a challenge whereas the palladium-catalyzed CO/C2 H4 co-polymerization is well understood. Building on this analogy, the goal of this study was to elucidate the feasibility of developing suitable catalysts for co-polymerizing CO2 with ethylene to polyethylene esters. Computational methods based on density functional theory were hereby employed.

Transparent Films from CO2 -Based Polyunsaturated Poly(ether carbonate)s: A Novel Synthesis Strategy and Fast Curing.

Transparent films were prepared by cross-linking polyunsaturated poly(ether carbonate)s obtained by the multicomponent polymerization of CO2 , propylene oxide, maleic anhydride, and allyl glycidyl ether. Poly(ether carbonate)s with ABXBA multiblock structures were obtained by sequential addition of mixtures of propylene oxide/maleic anhydride and propylene oxide/allyl glycidyl ether during the polymerization. The simultaneous addition of both monomer mixtures provided poly(ether carbonate)s with AXA triblock structures.