A method of synthesizing a CO2-philic analog of a CO2-phobic compound, includes the step of: reacting the CO2-phobic compound with a CO2-philic compound selected from the group of a polyether substituted with at least one side group including preferably a Lewis base, a polycarbonate, a polycarbonate substituted with at least one side group including preferably a Lewis base, a vinyl polymer substituted with at least one side group including preferably a Lewis base a poly(ether-ester) or a poly(ether-ester) substituted with at least one side group including preferably a Lewis base, to create the CO2-philic analog. A method of synthesizing a CO2-phile includes the step of copolymerizing at least two monomers, wherein a polymer formed from homopolymerization of one of the monomers has a Tg of less than approximately 250 K and a steric factor less than approximately 1.8, at least one of the monomers contains a group that results in a pendant group from the CO2-phile backbone that contains a Lewis base group, and the resultant CO2-phile does not contain both hydrogen bond donors and acceptors.