Synthesis and Processing of Organic Materials in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is arguably the most high-profile molecule of recent times. Although much of its bad press comes from environmental concerns associated with greenhouse gas emissions, there exists the possibility to harness this abundant resource for application to the synthesis and processing of useful materials. This article describes a selection of recent successes in using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as a solvent for polymerizations. Further, the uses of compressed CO2 as a processing tool in the fabrication of materials for applications such as coatings and biomaterials are discussed. Finally, the application of scCO2 to photolithography is demonstrated, with particular focus on CO2 as a processing solvent for the patterning of organic electronic devices.