One-Step Synthesis of Polyurea from CO2 under Mild Pressure and Temperature

Direct conversion of CO2 to polymers, such as polyurea, is an effective approach for CO2 capture and utilization. However, traditional methods involving CO2 and diamine polymerization require high pressures and temperatures (>5 MPa, ∼180 °C) and result in low molecular weight polyurea. A method has been developed to synthesize polyurea directly from CO2 at mild temperature and pressure (0.1–0.5 MPa, 15–90 °C) in a one-step reaction using organic superbases as both catalysts and dehydrants with the formation of DBU-H2O. This process allows for fast polymerization (10–30 min) and yields high molecular weight polyurea (>106 g/mol). The tensile strength of the as-prepared polyurea film reaches 13.5 MPa, which indicates excellent mechanical properties.