Colorado State researchers create recyclable polyesters from CO₂ and bicycloalkanes
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Researchers at Colorado State University, writing in Nature, report a catalytic process that copolymerizes carbon dioxide with bicycloalkanes to produce high-performance polyesters. The materials are thermally stable and can be chemically recycled back to monomers with over 90% yield.
The Catalytic Process
Using an organic catalyst, the team achieved perfectly alternating copolymerization of CO₂ with bicyclic butane (BCB) and pentane (BCP) monomers. The reaction incorporates up to 50 mol% CO₂ and yields high-molar-mass polyesters with architecturally defined backbones. The in-chain ring structures allow precise tailoring of thermal and mechanical properties.
Closed-Loop Recycling
BCB-CO₂ polyesters exhibit exceptional stability across the full pH range yet can be selectively depolymerized in bulk or base-catalysed conditions to regenerate pure BCB monomers in over 90% isolated yield. BCP-CO₂ polyesters depolymerize into bicyclolactones. Sequential depolymerization–repolymerization cycles confirm a circular lifecycle for both polyester types.
What's Next
The research team plans to scale up the process for industrial applications. It remains unclear whether production costs will make these polyesters competitive with conventional plastics.
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Colorado State researchers create recyclable polyesters from CO₂ and bicycloalkanes
