Cooperative rare earth metal-zinc based heterometallic catalysts for copolymerization of CO2 and cyclohexene oxide

Novel rare earth metal zinc heterotrinuclear complexes have been synthesized, which showed high efficiency and selectivity in initiating the copolymerization of CO2 and cyclohexene oxide under mild conditions. Significant cooperation between rare earth metal and zinc centres that account for the good performance is observed. Copolymers of high polycarbonate content (up to 99%) as well as high molecular weight (up to 295 800 g mol(-1)) were obtained at 25 degrees C under 0.7 MPa pressure of CO2.