ABSTRACT
Polycarbonates (PC) are polyesters of carbonic acid and diols or diphenols that feature a carbonate group in their repeating unit and which are either of the aliphatic or the aromatic type. PCs are important commodity and engineering plastics which find applications in a wide range of domains, in particular in construction and packaging materials, appliances and consumer goods, and automotive, aircraft, electrical, and electronic components. PCs are most commonly synthesized either by the copolymerization of epoxides with carbon dioxide or by the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic carbonate monomers. In the ROP approach, end-group functionality results from either the initiator, the chain transfer agent or the end-capping species. The chapter focuses on the synthesis of ditelechelic PCs derived from the copolymerization of epoxides and carbon dioxide or from the ROP of six-membered-ring cyclic carbonates. It provides a concise description of the most significant and latest advances made in the area.
