Organocatalytic Condensation Polymerization for Synthesis of High Performance Aliphatic Polycarbonate

Aliphatic polycarbonate (APC) with long alkyl segments has received much attention for its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, owing to its low molecular weight, it usually exhibits poor mechanical properties limiting its application. Here,a novel two-step condensation polymerization procedure by using an organic catalyst (t-BuP₂) to synthesize high molecular weight APC is presented. The introduction of branching and hydrogen bonding in the polymerization would significantly improve its thermal and mechanical properties. The APC exhibits a melt temperature ≈80 °C, tensile strength of 17.7 ± 0.9 MPa, and impressive elongation at a break of 1136 ± 25%. This study provides a facile procedure to synthesize high-performance APC via condensation polymerization.