Ultra-Productive Upcycling CO2 into Polycarbonate Polyols via Borinane-Based Bifunctional Organocatalysts

We herein report the synthesis of commercially attractive low molar mass polycarbonate polyols obtained through the ring-opening copolymerization of CO2 and epoxides, using a series of borinane-based bifunctional organocatalysts in the presence of chain transfer agents (CTAs). These catalysts enable CO2/epoxide copolymerizations with high linear vs cyclic selectivity and outstanding productivity for both poly(cyclohexane carbonate) polyols (18.2 kg/g catalyst) and poly(ether propylene carbonate) polyols (1.1 kg/g catalyst). These copolymerizations exhibit all features of living processes; the molar mass of the resulting polycarbonates could be precisely controlled by varying the [monomer]/CTA ratio. The high performance of these catalysts implying a low loading shows a great potential for applications in large-scale preparation of CO2-based polyols.

Automated summary

We report the synthesis of commercially attractive low molar mass polycarbonate polyols obtained through CO2 and epoxide ring-opening copolymerization using borinane-based bifunctional organocatalysts and chain transfer agents. These catalysts exhibit high selectivity and productivity for both poly(cyclohexane carbonate) polyols and poly(ether propylene carbonate) polyols. The molar mass of the resulting polycarbonates can be precisely controlled, showing great potential for large-scale preparation of CO2-based polyols.