Ternary Copolymerization of Supercritical CO2, Propylene Oxide and Maleic Anhydride and Properties of Polycarbonates

With zinc glutarate loaded molecular sieve catalyst in supercritical CO2, the copolymerization of CO2, propylene oxide, and maleic anhydride was studied in detail. The optimum conditions of copolymerization are: T = 70 degrees C, P = 8 MPa, reaction time 15 hours, 0.7 g catalyst per 20 ml propylene oxide, and product yield is 26 %. The functional polymer products have some special characteristics, such as high glass transition temperature and good tensile strength. It is biodegradable so that it can gradually replace the traditional plastic. The structure of the copolymer products was characterized by FTIR, H-1-NMR, C-13-NMR, and SEM analysis.