PolyNewrethanes. CO2 Valorisation for N-Functionalised Polyurethanes: Design and Synthesis of Catalyst Systems for Novel Sustainable Polymers

摘要：全球对高分子材料的需求高且快速增长，在过去十年中，其产量增长了40%。寻找石化原料的替代品至关重要；二氧化碳（CO2）是一种理想的替代品，因为它便宜、无毒、储量丰富，而且是工业过程中的废物。二氧化碳和环氧化物的开环共聚（ROCOP）使得新型和工业相关的聚碳酸酯材料成为可能，但在很大程度上受到环氧化物单体的限制。虽然环氧化物与二氧化碳形成聚碳酸酯的ROCOP已经建立，但使用替代单体从二氧化碳形成聚氨酯的探索仍未充分，这为原始可持续材料的发展提供了潜在的变革途径。该提案旨在开发新型功能化聚氨酯和聚氨酯衍生物的催化途径，开发一系列具有高性能涂料潜在应用的新材料。这将通过三个关键工作包来实现，包括：1)催化剂筛选（建立机理理解）；2)催化剂开发（合成新一代催化剂）；3)合成一系列新型聚氨酯（创造一套具有广泛性能的新型聚合物材料）。成功的项目交付将产生生产聚氨酯的新方法，避免使用二异氰酸酯（目前用于工业制备聚氨酯的一类化学品，具有剧毒，很快将在几个欧盟国家被禁止）。该项目还将提供一种将二氧化碳升级为增值产品的新方法。

Abstract:Global demand for polymeric materials is high and rapidly increasing, with production growing by 40 % over the past decade. It is essential to find alternatives to petrochemical feedstocks; carbon dioxide (CO2) is an ideal substitute as it is cheap, non-toxic, abundant and a waste product ofindustrial processes. The ring-opening copolymerisation (ROCOP) of CO2 and epoxides has enabled access to novel and industrially relevant polycarbonate materials but is largely limited by the epoxide monomer. While the ROCOP of epoxides with CO2 to form polycarbonates is well-established, the use of alternative monomers to form polyurethanes from CO2 remains underexplored and offers apotentially transformative route towards original sustainable materials. This proposal aims to develop catalytic routes towards novel functionalised polyurethanes and polyurethane derivatives, to develop a series of new materials with potential applications as high-performance coatings.This will be delivered through three key work packages, involving:1) Catalyst Screening (to build up mechanistic understanding);2) Catalyst Development (to synthesise the next generation of catalysts);3) Synthesising a Range of Novel Polyurethanes (to create a suite of new polymeric materials with broad-ranging properties).Successful project delivery will generate new methodologies for producing polyurethanes, which avoid the use of diisocyanates (a class of chemicals currently used in the industrial preparation of polyurethanes that are highly toxic and will soon be banned in several EU countries). Thisproject will also provide a new method of upcycling CO2 into value-added products.