CO2 derived biodegradable polycarbonates: Synthesis, modification and applications

Abstract

Fixation carbon dioxide into polymer is a feasible proposal to construct high value-added biodegradable plastic. These polymers are environmentally friendly and energy-saving owing to that the raw material is waste gas and finally they decompose back into CO2. This review mainly focuses on our group work of recent advancements on CO2-based copolymers, especially for poly (propylene carbonate) (PPC). We also extensively introduce the improvements on thermal and mechanical performances of PPC by physical and chemical modifications. Meanwhile, their practical application is further discussed in detail as well to replace the conventionally non-biodegradable plastics. The commercial PPC has already been found an enormous application prospect in versatile packaging industry.