Copolymerization of carbon dioxide and propylene oxide with highly effective zinc hexacyanocobaltate(III)-based coordination catalyst

• Published in: Polymer (Guilford) Vol. 45; no. 19; pp. 6519 - 6524
• Main Authors: Chen, Shang, Hua, Zhengjiang, Fang, Zhuo, Qi, Guorong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 03.09.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Carbon dioxide; Catalysts; Copolymerization; Exact sciences and technology; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; Catalysts; Copolymerization; Carbon dioxide; Molecular structure; Zinc complex; Complex catalyst; Cobalt complex; Experimental study; Cyano complex; Complex catalyst copolymerization; Pressure copolymerization; Heteronuclear complex; Oxirane(methyl); Dinuclear complex; Carbonate copolymer; Propylene oxide copolymer; Catalyst activity; Ring opening copolymerization; Aliphatic copolymer
• ISSN: 0032-3861; 1873-2291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2004.07.044

Copolymerization of propylene oxide and carbon dioxide was successfully carried out by using double metal cyanide complex (DMC) based on Zn 3[Co(CN) 6] 2. It has been found that this catalyst demonstrated highly enhanced catalytic activity over 1000 g copolymer per gram of Zn 3[Co(CN) 6] 2 compared with its analog based on Zn 3[Fe(CN) 6] 2. The copolymers prepared were characterized by IR, 1H NMR, the molar fraction of CO 2 ( F CO2) for copolymer was as high as 0.31 under optimum condition. Propylene carbonate was also identified as co-product by the spectrometry. The study showed that lower temperature is favorable for incorporation of CO 2 into copolymer instead of propylene carbonate, and F CO2 is significantly influenced by amount of catalyst used. The kind of complexing agent employed in preparation impacted on the catalytic activity, but not yet for F CO2.