P123-CoMgAl composite for sustainable and high-conversion epoxide ring-opening polymerization

• Published in: Journal of nanoparticle research : an interdisciplinary forum for nanoscale science and technology Vol. 27; no. 5; p. 128
• Main Authors: Cao, Xiaoyan, Xu, Xiao, Wu, Gongming, Gu, Zhenggui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.05.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Catalysts; Catalytic converters; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cobalt; Complexity; Crystal structure; Green chemistry; Inorganic Chemistry; Lasers; Materials Science; Micelles; Molecular weight; Nanocomposites; Nanotechnology; Optical Devices; Optics; Photonics; Physical Chemistry; Polymerization; Polypropylene; Polypropylene glycol; Propylene glycol; Propylene oxide; Ring opening polymerization; Self-assembly; Sustainability; Thermal stability; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Poly(propylene glycol) (PPG); Ring-opening polymerization; CoMgAl-LDO(P123) nanocomposite catalyst; Sustainability
• ISSN: 1388-0764; 1572-896X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11051-025-06316-z

The ring-opening polymerization lays the foundation for synthesizing polypropylene glycol. Nevertheless, homogeneous alkali catalysts usually require complex post-treatments, hindering green synthesis and environmental sustainability. Here, we studied a heterogeneous epoxide polymerization method based on a P123-modified nanocomposite layered double oxide (CoMgAl-LDO(P123)). Thereafter, the composition, crystal structure, morphology, and thermal stability of the catalyst were characterized through SEM, XRD, FTIR, XPS, BET, and TG-DTG techniques. The results indicated that due to the designable and self-assembled P123 micelles, CoMgAl-LDO(P123) generated consistent mesoporous channels and a larger specific surface area. The introduction of cobalt enriched the alkaline sites on the CoMgAl-LDO(P123) surface. In the synthesis of small molecular weight poly(propylene glycol) (i.e., number average molecular weight less than 500), the catalytic performance of CoMgAl-LDO(P123) for the conversion of propylene oxide reached 96.3% under the optimal reaction conditions, which was superior to that of other catalysts. Our strategy addresses the trade-off issue that alkali catalysts faced in terms of sustainability and operational complexity, holding great promise in green chemistry.