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Overview / Routes / Isosorbide & CO₂-based polycarbonates

Polycarbonates

Isosorbide & CO₂-based polycarbonates

Polycarbonates from the sugar-derived diol isosorbide, and from epoxide/CO₂ ring-opening copolymerisation.

Scope: Isosorbide polycarbonate; epoxide/CO₂ ROCOP (PPC, poly(limonene carbonate)).

What it is

Isosorbide is a rigid bicyclic diol derived from sugars; Fenouillot et al. review polymers made from it and its isomers.

Grignard et al. review routes that use CO₂ as a C1 feedstock for polymers.

Chemistry summary

Byrne et al. report alternating copolymerisation of limonene oxide and CO₂ with zinc catalysts to a regioregular polycarbonate with more than 99 % carbonate linkages.

monomer

Isosorbide

Rigid, sugar-derived bicyclic diol (1,4:3,6-dianhydro-D-glucitol) for polycarbonates and polyesters.

O[C@@H]1CO[C@@H]2[C@@H](O)CO[C@H]12

PubChem CID 12597 · source

monomer

Propylene oxide

Epoxide comonomer with CO₂ for poly(propylene carbonate) (stereocentre not specified).

CC1CO1

PubChem CID 6378 · source

feedstock

(R)-Limonene

Citrus terpene; its oxide copolymerises with CO₂ to poly(limonene carbonate).

CC1=CC[C@@H](CC1)C(=C)C

PubChem CID 440917 · source

Drawn from SMILES with RDKit and verified against PubChem. Full structure library →

Synthesis and production

Melt transesterification for isosorbide polycarbonates; catalytic ROCOP for CO₂-based polycarbonates (see Chemistry).

Property profile

Not summarised here; see checked developments and the property table.

Sourced property table (ND where no value is quoted) →

End-of-life profile

Each attribute is recorded separately and never inferred from another.

Bio-based originIsosorbide is sugar-derived. CO₂-derived carbon is neither fossil nor biogenic by default; report it separately.
BiodegradabilityNot assessed here.
CompostabilityNot assessed here.
RecyclabilityNot assessed here.

Key players

None listed. Organisations are named here only when a checked development or cited source names them.

Typical applications
not summarised here

Open challenges

  • Accounting for CO₂-derived content separately from bio-based content.
  • Catalyst cost and selectivity in ROCOP.

Cross-cutting: Bio-based content & claim accounting (C14 vs mass balance) · Comparable climate footprint · Scale-up, capacity vs real output

Quoted support for this page (1)
  • The copolymer contains >99% carbonate linkages [Byrne 2004]

Each quote is re-checked against the published abstract in CI.

Monthly track

October 2026 in progress · scanned through 2026-10-20

No checked developments.

Machine-triaged leads (2)
machine-triagedFormulation / application4 Oct 2026· Journal of Polymer Sciencejournal

Phase Transition and Crystallization of Comb‐Like Materials Based on Poly(Vinyl Cyclohexene Carbonate) and Mercaptan via Thiol‐Ene Click Reaction

Poly(vinyl cyclohexene carbonate) made from CO2 was grafted with alkyl thiols via thiol-ene click, tuning phase-change temperature and enthalpy for thermal energy storage.
“synthesized through PVCHC and different chain lengths of thiol” (abstract)
doi:10.1002/pola.70358
machine-triagedFormulation / application2 Oct 2026· ACS Applied Polymer Materialsjournal

Sequential Postpolymerization Modification of CO2-Based Polycarbonates via Click Chemistry and Kabachnik–Fields Reaction

CO2-based polycarbonates were sequentially modified via click chemistry and the Kabachnik–Fields reaction to add bio-based pendants, with the authors reporting improved strength, flame retardancy and fluorescence.
“combined click chemistry with the Kabachnik–Fields reaction for sequential postpolymerization modification of CO2-based polycarbonates” (abstract)
doi:10.1021/acsapm.6c03715

September 2026

No checked developments.

Machine-triaged leads (5)
machine-triagedNew chemistry2 Sept 2026· Macromoleculesjournal

Biodegradable Superabsorbent Polymer from CO2-Based Polycarbonate

A lightly cross-linked poly(vinyl cyclohexene carbonate) network from CO2-based polycarbonate is reported as a biodegradable superabsorbent, with swelling and biodegradation data presented.
“Here, we demonstrate CO2-based polycarbonates derived from functional epoxides as a programmable platform for high-performance biodegradable SAPs.” (abstract)
doi:10.1021/acs.macromol.6c01535
machine-triagedNew route1 Sept 2026· Inorganic Chemistryjournal

Dinuclear Nickel Complexes Containing Imidazole-Based Bis(iminophenolate) Derivatives: Highly Active Catalysts for Ring-Opening Copolymerization of Carbon Dioxide with Alicyclic Epoxides

Dinuclear nickel complexes catalyzed alternating CO2/cyclohexene oxide copolymerization with TOFs above 2000 per hour and TONs over 9000, and enabled terpolymerization with functional alicyclic epoxides.
“achieving turnover frequencies (TOFs) exceeding 2000 h-1 and turnover numbers (TONs) over 9000” (abstract)
doi:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6c02993
machine-triagedNew routeSept 2026· Polymerjournaltitle only

CO2/propylene oxide copolymerization catalyzed by monoimidazole-modified cobaltoporphyrins: structure-driven dual selectivity and mechanistic insights

Monoimidazole-modified cobaltoporphyrins catalyse CO2/propylene oxide copolymerisation, with structure-driven dual selectivity and mechanistic insights reported.
“CO2/propylene oxide copolymerization catalyzed by monoimidazole-modified cobaltoporphyrins” (title)
doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130483
machine-triagedFormulation / application1 Sept 2026· Evergreenjournal

Synthesis of Cellulose Acetate-graft-Poly(propylene carbonate) from CO₂-based Polycarbonate and Cellulose Acetate

Researchers synthesised cellulose acetate-graft-poly(propylene carbonate) by grafting alkyne-terminated CO2-based PPC onto cellulose acetate via CuAAC; graft copolymers showed higher thermal decomposition temperature than PPC.
“The resulting graft copolymers exhibit higher thermal decomposition temperature compared with PPC.” (abstract)
doi:10.5109/7442748

References

  1. Fenouillot F., Rousseau A., Colomines G. et al. (2010). Polymers from renewable 1,4:3,6-dianhydrohexitols (isosorbide, isomannide and isoidide): A review. Progress in Polymer Science. doi:10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2009.10.001 review
  2. Grignard B., Gennen S., Jérôme C. et al. (2019). Advances in the use of CO 2 as a renewable feedstock for the synthesis of polymers. Chemical Society Reviews. doi:10.1039/C9CS00047J review
  3. Byrne C.M., Allen S.D., Lobkovsky E.B. et al. (2004). Alternating Copolymerization of Limonene Oxide and Carbon Dioxide. Journal of the American Chemical Society. doi:10.1021/ja0472580 research

Full literature list →