Recent progress in CO2-based polyurethanes and polyureas

As an abundant, renewable, and inexpensive carbon feedstock, CO2 can be converted into valuable products, creating substantial environmental and economic benefits. Polyurethanes (PUs) and polyureas (PUAs) with versatile properties have been commonly used in everyday life applications and possess vast market demand. CO2-sourced PUs and PUAs can alleviate the involvement of petroleum, and they have attracted ever-increasing attention from industry and academia because of their high economic value and fancy properties in many high-value-added material fields. This has led to their recognition as a promising strategy from the viewpoint of green and sustainable chemistry. In this review, the state-of-the-art research progress on CO2-based PUs and PUAs, with particular emphasis on their synthetic principles, modifications, applications, and degradability are summarized. Additionally, future considerations, prospects, and possible challenges in converting CO2 to nitrogenous polymers are also discussed. This review is intended to serve as a tutorial guide for the future development of novel CO2-sourced PUs and PUAs with unique properties and functions.