Enhanced Double Metal Cyanide Catalysts for Modulating the Rheological Properties of Poly(propylene carbonate) Polyols by Modifying Carbonate Contents

Harin Kim; Hyo-Jeong Lee; Jiwon Hwang; Su Min Jung; Jun Dong Park; Joon Hyun Baik

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c04765

Enhanced Double Metal Cyanide Catalysts for Modulating the Rheological Properties of Poly(propylene carbonate) Polyols by Modifying Carbonate Contents

ACS Omega. 2023 Oct 13;8(42):39279-39287. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c04765. eCollection 2023 Oct 24.

Authors

Harin Kim¹, Hyo-Jeong Lee¹, Jiwon Hwang¹, Su Min Jung¹, Jun Dong Park^{1

2}, Joon Hyun Baik^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Sookmyung Women's University, 100 Cheongpa-ro 47-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04310, Republic of Korea.
² Institute of Advanced Materials and Systems, Sookmyung Women's University, 100 Cheongpa-ro 47-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04310, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) polyol is an environmentally sustainable material derived from abundant and renewable greenhouse gas, CO₂. Optimizing their synthesis and properties is crucial to their application in the production of polyurethane products. In this study, we synthesized PPC polyols with varying carbonate contents using heterogeneous Zn/Co double metal cyanide (DMC) catalysts, which were prepared with poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (P123) as an effective complexing agent. Analysis of the influence of calcination temperature revealed that the DMC-P123 catalyst calcined at 100 °C exhibited superior catalytic performance owing to reduced crystallinity and enhanced formation of the monoclinic phase. Additionally, by precisely controlling the CO₂ pressure, high propylene carbonate contents of up to 32.8 wt % in the polyol structure were achieved. The increased carbonate content enhanced the intermolecular attraction between polyol chains, thereby promoting hydrogen bonding and significantly modulating the rheological properties of the polyol. The novel findings of this study establish a solid foundation for the synthesis of CO₂-based polyols with desirable properties, serving as alternatives to conventional petroleum-based polyols.