One-pot multifunctional polyesters by continuous flow organocatalysed ring-opening polymerisation for targeted and tunable materials design

Abstract

Targeted and tunable access to biodegradable polymers will be vital for their continued adoption and use in modern materials applications. Herein we report a platform for the synthesis of well-defined, curable biodegradable polymer precursors, prepared in a controlled manner via continuous flow ring-opening polymerisation/post-modification reactions of ε-caprolactone and L-lactide. Polymer architectures are characterised by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, ESI mass spectrometry, and size exclusion chromatography, and their potential application in materials synthesis is subsequently highlighted by employing them as precursors to prepare networks and polymerised high internal phase emulsions (polyHIPEs) via an emulsion templating strategy using photo-initiated thiol–ene click reaction.