From waste to value: Copper-catalyzed method converts CO₂ into high-value polymers under mild conditions

A research team from Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory introduced a new, eco-friendly method to transform carbon dioxide (CO₂, a major greenhouse gas) into useful high-performance plastics using a simple copper-based catalyst. Conducted under mild conditions at room temperature and ambient pressure, this process efficiently incorporates CO₂ into polymer materials that can be used in packaging, sensors, biomedical devices and more. The developed polymers are highly soluble, customizable, and can be quickly modified to create multifunctional materials. This innovative approach not only offers a sustainable way to recycle CO₂ but also opens new possibilities for producing advanced materials that support environmentally friendly manufacturing and help combat climate change. 

As a greenhouse gas, the conversion and fixation of CO₂ are of great significance for mitigating climate change. Transforming CO₂ into polymeric materials not only enables long-term carbon sequestration but also introduces functionality, representing a dual-purpose strategy. However, conventional conversion processes often require expensive catalysts, high pressure, and elevated temperatures due to the thermodynamic stability and inertness of CO₂, limiting their practical applications.

In this study, the team employed a copper catalyst combined with triphenylphosphine (CuCl/PPh₃) to drive multicomponent polymerization (MCP) of terminal alkynes, dihalides, and CO₂ at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. This innovative catalytic system efficiently incorporates CO₂ into the polymer backbone, resulting in poly(alkynoate)s with high molecular weights and excellent solubility. The polymerization exhibits broad monomer compatibility, accommodating both aryl and alkyl diynes, as well as dihalides with different halogens (Cl, Br, I), yielding poly(alkynoate)s with high molecular weights (up to 94,000) and excellent yields (up to 99%). This process showed gram-scale synthesis, indicating potential for industrial large-scale production, yielding polymers with diverse functionalities, such as fluorescence, which can be used for sensing applications.

The researchers further demonstrated that these polymers could be postmodified in a "one-pot, two-step, four-component" tandem polymerization process, enabling the creation of multifunctional materials with potential applications ranging from environmental sensors to biomedical probes. Moreover, the study also introduced a new CO₂-based fluorescent probe capable of detecting Fe³⁺ ions with high sensitivity, highlighting the versatility of these polymers.

This innovative approach not only advances green chemistry but also paves the way for integrating carbon capture with sustainable material production. The potential to develop energy-efficient, scalable processes could significantly impact industries seeking environmentally friendly alternatives, transforming CO₂ from a pollutant into a resource. With further research into novel catalysts and process optimization, this technology may soon be incorporated into industrial manufacturing, contributing to a circular carbon economy. 

The Impact: This work not only directly converts CO₂ into polymeric functional materials under low energy consumption and low-cost conditions, but also obtains a series of functional polymers.

The research has been recently published in the online edition of Materials Futures, an international journal in the field of interdisciplinary materials science research.

Reference: Tingzhu Duan, Tianbai Xiong, Lei Li, Jia Wang, Xin Wang. CuCl/Ph₃P-Catalyzed Multicomponent Polymerization of CO₂ to Prepare Functional Poly(alkynoate)s and Fused Heterocyclic Polymers under Atmospheric Pressure and Near Ambient Temperature[J]. Materials Futures. DOI: 10.1088/2752-5724/adfd76

 

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