Colorado State researchers create recyclable polyesters from CO₂ and bicycloalkanes
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Researchers at Colorado State University, writing in Nature, report a catalytic process that copolymerizes carbon dioxide with bicycloalkanes to produce high-performance polyesters. The materials are thermally stable and can be chemically recycled back to monomers with over 90% yield.
The Catalytic Process
Using an organic catalyst, the team achieved perfectly alternating copolymerization of CO₂ with bicyclic butane (BCB) and pentane (BCP) monomers. The reaction incorporates up to 50 mol% CO₂ and yields high-molar-mass polyesters with architecturally defined backbones. The in-chain ring structures allow precise tailoring of thermal and mechanical properties.
Closed-Loop Recycling
BCB-CO₂ polyesters exhibit exceptional stability across the full pH range yet can be selectively depolymerized in bulk or base-catalysed conditions to regenerate pure BCB monomers in over 90% isolated yield. BCP-CO₂ polyesters depolymerize into bicyclolactones. Sequential depolymerization–repolymerization cycles confirm a circular lifecycle for both polyester types.
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