Ring-opening polymerization of lactones catalyzed by ion-exchanged clay montmorillonite

Abstract

Tin ion-exchanged montmorillonite catalyzed the ring-opening polymerization of δ-valerolactone in a solvent free system. The polymerization proceeded in a living manner, giving rise to poly(δ-valerolactone)s with controlled molecular weights. Aluminium and iron ion-exchanged montmorillonites were also effective for the polymerization. Furthermore, the copolymerization of δ-valerolactone with γ-butyrolactone took place in the presence of the montmorillonite to produce the corresponding copolymers.