Synthesis and degradation behavior of poly(propylene carbonate) derived from carbon dioxide and propylene oxide

High molecular weight and regular molecular structure poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) was successfully synthesized from carbon dioxide and propylene oxide. The PPC copolymer structure was an exact alternating copolymer as evidenced by the ¹³C-NMR technique. Degradative behavior of the PPC was conducted by soil burial and buffer solution immersion (pH = 6) tests, respectively. The results showed that the weight loss of soil buried in PPC films increased more slowly than that immersed in the buffer solution after 6-month exposure. However, the weight loss of sample immersed in the buffer solution increased rapidly during the first 2 months and reached a value of 4.59%. Water sorption measurement also revealed that the PPC membranes immersed in buffer solution were more hydrophilic than those in soil burial tests. The degradation mechanism of PPC membranes was correlated with the sample morphologies, FTIR, and ¹H-NMR spectra. The SEM morphologies were consistent with the weight loss and water sorption measurements. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.