Advances in Synthesis and Applications of Polymeric Biorenewable Materials via Metal Catalyzed Polymerizations
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2023) | Viewed by 9712
Special Issue Editors
Interests: organometallic chemistry; polymer chemistry; biorenewable materials; catalysis
Interests: synthesis of organometallic complexes as catalysts. CO2 valorization, synthesis of poly(lactide)s, cyclic carbonates and poly(carbonate)s
Special Issue Information
The traditional linear-economy model based on the indiscriminate use of our natural resources for the continued production of goods and services is causing a severe impact on the economy, society, and environment. Transforming this approach into a circular economy model that provides a rational use of raw materials and limits waste production and energy consumption constitutes a real challenge for scientists in this new century. In particular, chemistry plays an important role in meeting this challenge by optimizing industrial processes, enhancing the atom economy and reducing wastes, and providing products in a more energy-efficient mode through the employment of greener techniques. In this sense, the role of a catalyst is crucial for providing more efficient and cleaner synthetic routes of new and existing polymeric products. One of the most important and ubiquitous materials in our economy are plastics, which are present in many applications in our daily lives. Unfortunately, the way in which plastics are currently produced from fossil feedstocks fails to capture the benefits of applying a circular approach model. Therefore, in recent decades, there has been an increasing awareness of the development of alternative routes for the production of these materials, based on more sustainable and renewable materials as a replacement of petrochemical sources. The present Special Issue comprises the most recent advances accomplished in the field of the production of sustainable polymers obtained from renewable carbon feedstocks (e.g., biomass, CO2). This issue aims at collecting original studies as full papers or short communications, which highlight the challenge of designing efficient catalysts capable of producing applied polymers in homogeneous or heterogeneous conditions, as well as the discussion of their physical and chemical properties. Mechanistic studies or the use of density functional theory (DFT) calculations to rationalize these processes are also welcomed.
Keywords
- efficient catalysts
- biodegradable polymers
- sustainable and renewable materials
- homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis
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