Polymeric Materials Based on Carbon Dioxide: A Brief Review of Studies Carried Out at the Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology

Carbon dioxide is an important raw material in many industrial technologies, but it is also one of the greenhouse gases that has to be effectively removed from the environment. This contribution provides a brief overview of carbon dioxide-based polymers developed in the laboratories of the Faculty of Chemistry at Warsaw University of Technology. We present some simple and versatile synthetic approaches that can be used to prepare a library of oligocarbonate diols, polycarbonates, poly(ester-carbonates), poly(ether-carbonates) and various types of polyurethanes, including the newly emerging family of environmentally friendly non-isocyanate polyurethanes. The main synthesis strategy involves the reaction of CO2 with oxiranes to form five-membered cyclic carbonates, which can be utilized as a source of carbonate bonds in polymeric materials obtained by the ester exchange reactions and/or step-growth polyaddition. We also show that cyclic carbonates are valuable starting materials in the synthesis of hyperbranched polymers and polymer networks. The properties of several CO2-based polymers are presented and their potential application as biomaterials, smart materials, and absorbers with a high CO2 capture capacity is discussed

Synthesis of Shape-Memory Polyurethanes: Combined Experimental and Simulation Studies

The presented research focuses on the synthesis and structure–properties relationship of poly(carbonate-urea-urethane) (PCUU) systems including investigations on shape-memory effect capability. Furthermore, we approached the topic from a broader perspective by conducting extensive analysis of the relationship between the synthesized compounds and the results of computer simulations by means of the Monte Carlo method. For the first time, by using a unique simulation tool, the dynamic lattice liquid model (DLL), all steps of multi-step synthesis of these materials were covered by the simulations. Furthermore, broad thermal, mechanical, and thermomechanical characterization of synthesized PCUUs was performed, as well as determining the shape-memory properties. PCUUs exhibited good mechanical properties with a tensile strength above 20 MPa, elongation at break around 800%, and an exhibited shape-memory effect with shape fixity and shape recovery ratios above 94% and 99%, respectively. The dynamic lattice liquid model was employed to show the products and their molar mass distribution, as well as monomer conversion or the dispersity index for individual reaction steps. The results obtained in the following manuscript allow the planning of syntheses for the PCUUs of various structures, including crosslinked and soluble systems, which can provide a broad variety of applications of these materials, as well as a better understanding of the composition–properties relationship

Poliuretany z segmentami oligowęglanowymi jako atrakcyjne materiały do produkcji klejów, spoiw i uszczelniaczy

In the last few years, a very wide range of oligocarbonate diols, oligomers of carbonic acid esters terminated on both sides with hydroxyl groups, have appeared on the chemical market. They are mainly used for the production of flexible segments in precious grades of polyurethanes used in biomedical engineering. Poly(carbonate-urethane) due to high resistance to oxidizing and hydrolytic agents is also an attractive material for the production of adhesives and coatings with increased resistance to weather conditions. This paper presents the current state of knowledge on the methods of synthesis and main producers of oligomerols with carbonate groups, methods of poly(carbonate-urethane) synthesis and examples of its commercial applications.W ostatnich latach na rynku chemicznym pojawiła się bardzo bogata gama oligowęglanodioli, czyli oligomerycznych estrów kwasu węglowego, zakończonych z obu stron grupami hydroksylowymi. Są one wykorzystywane głównie do wytwarzania segmentów elastycznych w szlachetnych gatunkach poliuretanów stosowanych w inżynierii biomedycznej. Poli(węglano-uretany), dzięki dużej odporności na czynniki utleniające i hydrolityczne, stanowią także atrakcyjny materiał do produkcji klejów i powłok, trwałych w różnych warunkach atmosferycznych. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono aktualny stan wiedzy dotyczący metod otrzymywania i głównych producentów oligomeroli z segmentami oligowęglanowymi, metod syntezy poliuretanów zawierających te segmenty oraz przykłady komercyjnych zastosowań poli(węglano-uretanów)