Green process for green materials: viable low-temperature lipase-catalysed synthesis of renewable telechelics in supercritical CO2

• Published in: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
• Main Authors: Curia, S., Barclay, A.F., Torron, S., Johansson, M., Howdle, S.M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Royal Society of Chemistry 2015
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/30870/; http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/373/2057/20150073.abstract; https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2015.0073

We present a novel near ambient temperature approach to telechelic renewable polyesters by exploiting the unique properties of supercritical CO2 (scCO2). Bio-based commercially available monomers have been polymerised and functional telechelic materials with targeted molecular weight were prepared by end-capping the chains with molecules containing reactive moieties in a one-pot reaction. The use of scCO2 as a reaction medium facilitates the effective use of Candida Antarctica Lipase B (CaLB) as a catalyst at a temperature as low as 35 °C, hence avoiding side reactions, maintaining the end-capper functionality and preserving the enzyme activity. The functionalised polymer products have been characterised by 1H-NMR, MALDI-TOF, GPC and DSC in order to carefully assess their structural and thermal properties. We demonstrate that telechelic materials can be produced enzymatically at mild temperatures, in a solvent-free system and using renewably sourced monomers without pre-modification, by exploiting the unique properties of scCO2. The macromolecules we prepare are ideal green precursors that can be further reacted to prepare useful bio-derived films and coatings.