The cobalt-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of epoxides and carbon monoxide: a novel approach to polyesters.
The metal-catalyzed synthesis of polyolefins, polyketones, and polycarbonates is well-known in academia and is already successfully applied in industrial processes. Still missing, however, is the metal-catalyzed synthesis of aliphatic polyesters, as one of the most important biodegradeable polymer families. We report here on the cobalt-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of propylene oxide and carbon monoxide, affording atactic and isotactic polyhydroxybutyrates (PHB). The postulated mechanism is supported by online ATR-IR analytics.
Allmendinger
Markus
M
Department of Materials and Catalysis, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany.
Eberhardt
Robert
R
Luinstra
Gerrit
G
Rieger
Bernhard
B