Issue 14/2015 - Dalian Polytechnic University explores new ways to chemically utilize carbon dioxide

It was learned from Dalian University of Technology that recently, the innovation team of the Ministry of Education of the State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals of the university "Small Molecule Activation and Biomimetic Catalysis" explored a new method of chemical fixation of carbon dioxide, and successfully designed a crystalline compound - crystalline gradient polycarbonate, expanding the scope of use of
carbon dioxide.

Chemical fixation of carbon dioxide has always been a topic
of common concern to scientists around the world.
However, due to the high thermodynamic stability of carbon dioxide, it is difficult to activate into useful chemicals
.

Liu Ye, Ren Weimin and Lv Xiaobing realized the asymmetric alternating copolymerization reaction of carbon dioxide and various racemic oxalkanes through their chiral advantage of dichogenic binuclear cobalt catalysts, high activity and high enantioselectivity, and the enantioselectivity of polymerization products was as high as 99%, and various crystalline carbon dioxide copolymers were obtained
.
Successfully designed a novel class of crystalline gradient polycarbonate, the melting point temperature of which can be adjusted within a certain range, greatly expanding the range of use of
carbon dioxide.

Although some chiral polycarbonates are crystalline, many are
completely amorphous.
The research team found that chiral polycarbonate with the same structure but different configurations, whether crystallizable or amorphous, can form highly crystalline polycarbonate through simple self-assembly, and the heat resistance is significantly improved
.

The research group also innovatively proposed and realized chiral polycarbonate with different structures and configurations, which can also form highly crystalline polycarbonate after simple self-assembly
.
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