Issue 37, 2017

Ring opening polymerization of macrolactones: high conversions and activities using an yttrium catalyst

Abstract

The ring-opening polymerization of macrolactones (C15–C23) enables the production of long-chain aliphatic polyesters which are crystalline polymers with melting temperatures ranging from 98–106 °C. Here, the polymerization of ω-pentadecalactone (C15), nonadecalactone (C19) and tricosalactone (C23) are investigated using an yttrium phosphasalen catalyst. The catalyst enables typical conversions to exceed >80% and the reactions occur either in neat monomer or in solution in toluene, over the temperature range 25–100 °C. The yttrium catalyst shows higher activities than previously reported aluminium–salen complexes, with TOF values in the range 200–400 h−1 in the best cases. The polymerizations occur with linear increase in molecular weight vs. conversion and enable the production of polyester with 10 < Mn< 60 kg mol−1. Using tricosalactone the polymerization thermodynamic parameters are determined and confirm the polymerization is entropically driven. The findings underscore the importance of continued catalyst development to allow higher rates of reaction which has the added benefit of accessing the highest conversions to polymer.

Graphical abstract: Ring opening polymerization of macrolactones: high conversions and activities using an yttrium catalyst

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Jun 2017
Accepted
18 Jul 2017
First published
01 Sep 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Polym. Chem., 2017,8, 5780-5785

Ring opening polymerization of macrolactones: high conversions and activities using an yttrium catalyst

D. Myers, T. Witt, A. Cyriac, M. Bown, S. Mecking and C. K. Williams, Polym. Chem., 2017, 8, 5780 DOI: 10.1039/C7PY00985B

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