Shelby Bradford in The Scientist:
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major driver of climate change. As a result, researchers are exploring ways to capture this greenhouse gas and repurpose it into usable materials. But the stability of carbon dioxide makes it challenging to incorporate into polymers. Previously, researchers have successfully polymerized carbon dioxide into polycarbonate using a variety of catalysts and other intermediates that help the notoriously non-reactive gas participate in chemical reactions.1,2 Introducing carbon dioxide into polyesters, which have a variety of industrial uses, though, is a more difficult reaction. This is because the starting materials for polyesters lack the polar bonds that would promote a chemical reaction with carbon dioxide.
Eugene Chen, a polymer scientist at Colorado State University, and his team suspected that they could overcome this limitation using certain bicyclic carbon compounds that experienced strain in their joining rings, which makes them more reactive. In a study published in Nature, the team polymerized carbon dioxide and different bicyclic carbon molecules into various recyclable polyesters with different properties.3 These findings could help researchers capture and store carbon dioxide while also developing more sustainable plastic options.
More here.
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