Plastics from Carbon Dioxide: Synthesis, Properties, and End-of-Life Considerations for Epoxide Copolymers

The production of plastics from carbon dioxide (CO2) offers advantages over traditional feedstocks. Both the use of nature's photosynthetic mechanisms and the catalytic activation of CO2 for direct copolymerization have made significant technical and commercial advances. This chapter highlights several technologies for CO2 utilization in plastic production with a focus on the major advances in the area of the epoxide/CO2 copolymerization. Key considerations for synthesizing these materials, their range of properties, and how they fit into the circular economy are described. Recent advances in the areas of catalysis, block copolymer synthesis, initiators, thermoplastic elastomers, crystallization, chemical recyclability, and life-cycle analysis are discussed in addition to historic landmark discoveries.