Abstract
Due to its abundance as a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is desired as a renewable carbon feedstock in chemical reactions. However, its use in copolymerization with olefins has been difficult due to its thermodynamic stability, in that the propagation step involving carbon dioxide is endothermic. To overcome these thermodynamic obstacles, we have taken advantage of the use of a carbon dioxide-derived lactone monomer intermediate; specifically, 2-ethylidene-6-hepten-5-olide (EHO), created by the palladium-catalyzed telomerization of carbon dioxide and butadiene. From there, the EHO monomer was functionalized through thiol-ene click reactions and full hydrogenation processes, which were then polymerized through an organocatalyzed ring-opening polymerization. The resulting polymers’ thermal properties were then analyzed.