RING-OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF ε-CAPROLACTONE BY LANTHANOCENE CATALYSIS*

Ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (CL) catalyzed bylanthanocenes, O(C_2H_4C_5H_3CH_3)_2YCl (Cat-YCl) and Me_2Si[(CH_3)_3SiC_5H_3]_2NdCl(Cat-NdCl) has been carried out for the first time. It has been found that both yttroceneand neodymocene are very efficient to catalyze the polymerization of CL, giving high molec-ular weight poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL ). The effects of [cat] / [ε- CL] molar ratio, polymeriza-tion temperature and time, as well as solvents were investigated and polymerization tem-perature is found to be the most important factor affecting the polymerization. The bulkpolymerization gives higher molecular weight PCL and higher conversion than that in solu-tion polymerization. NaBPh_4 was found to promote the polymerization of ε-caprolactone,and thus to increase both the polymerization conversion and MW of poly (ε- caprolactone ).     

Synthesis and Characterization of ABBA Block Copolymer of Glycolide and ε-Caprolactone

A biodegradable ABBA block copolymer was synthesized via the ring-opening co-polymerization of ε-Scaprolactone (CL, B) and glycolide (A) by means of step polymerization in the presence of ethylene glycol as an initiator and stannous octanoate as a catalyst at 110 ℃ for 48 h. The molecular length of the PCL prepolymer(BB) could be adjusted by controlling the molar ratio of the ethylene glycol initiator to ε-caprolactone monomer. The structure and the composition of the block copolymer were determined by the weight ratio of the monomer glycolide (A) to PCL pre-polymer(BB). The block copolymers were characterized by ^1H NMR, GPC, DSC and X-ray. The results confirm the successful synthesis of an ABBA block copolymer.     

RING-OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF TRIMETHYLENE CARBONATE BY CALIX[8]ARENE-NEODYMIUM*

Ring-opening polymerization of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) with a rare earth calixarene compound as catalysthas been studied for the first time. The effect of TMC/Nd (molar ratio) and polymerization conditions were investigated indetail. It was found that calix[8]arene-neodymium is a highly effective catalyst for the bulk polymerization of TMC and giveshigh molecular weight (M_v = 60,000) polymer. The optimum conditions of TMC polymerization were found to be asfollows:TMC/Nd (molar ratio) = 2,000, 80℃, 16 h. The polymers were characterized by NMR, GPC and DSC. Studying themechanism by NMR showed that the polymerization of TMC catalyzed by calix[8]arene-neodymium proceeds via a cationicmechanism.     

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND NANOPARTICLE FORMATION OF STAR-SHAPED POLY(L-LACTIDE) WITH SIX ARMS

Well-defined star-shaped poly(L-lactide)with six arms(sPLLA)was synthesized via the ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide using dipentaerythritol as initiator and stannous octoate as catalyst in bulk at 125~C.The effects of molar ratios of both monomer to initiator and monomer to catalyst on the molecular weights of as-synthesized sPLLA polymers were in detail investigated.The molecular weights of sPLLA polymers linearly increased with the molar ratio of monomer to initiator,and the molecular weight d...     

POLYMERIZATION OF BUTYL METHACRYLATE BY IRON PYRIDINEBISIMINE COMPLEXES

Fe(Ⅱ)pyridinebisimine complexes activated with trialkylaluminium or modified methylaluminoxane(MMAO)ascatalysts were employed for the polymerization of butyl methacrylate(BMA).Polymer yields,catalytic activities andmolecular weights as well as molecular weight distributions of BMA can be controlled over a wide range by varying thereaction parameters such as cocatalyst,Al/Fe molar ratio,monomer/catalyst molar ratio,monomer concentration and reactiontemperature used in the polymerization.The catalytic activity of Fe(Ⅱ)complex was 11.1 kg_(polym)/mol_(Fe)h and the highestyield could reach 99.1% under optimum condition.     

RING-OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF l,4-DIOXAN-2-ONE INITIATED BY LANTHANUM TRIS(2,6-DI-TERT-BUTYL-4-METHYLPHENOLATE)

The ring-opening polymerization of 1,4-dioxan-2-one (PDO) was carried out by lanthanum tris(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolate) (La(OAr)3) as novel single component initiator. The influences of polymerization reaction temperature and the molar ratio of monomer to initiator on the monomer conversion and molecular weight of poly(1,4-dioxan-2-one) (PPDO) were explored. PPDO with high viscosity average molecular weight of 1.95×105 can be prepared at 40℃when [PDO]/ [La(OAr)3] molar ratio was 800. Mechanism investigation shows that the polymerization proceeds through a "coordinationinsertion" mechanism with selective rupture of acyl-oxygen bond of PDO.     

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Selenium-functionalized Poly(ε-caprolactone)

A selenium-functionalizedε-caprolactone was synthesized by introducing a phenyl selenide group at the 7-position.A polymer was obtained through the ring-opening polymerization of this monomer in a base/thiourea binary organocatalytic system.A living polymerization process was achieved under mild conditions.The resulting polymers had a controlled molecular weight with a narrow molecular weight distributions and high end-group fidelity.Random copolymers could be obtained by copolymerizing this monomer withε-caprolactone.The thermal degradation temperature of the obtained copolymers decreased with the increasing molar ratio of selenide functionalized monomer in copolymers,while the glass transition temperature increased.In addition,the phenyl selenide side group could be further modified to a polyselenonium salt,which resulted in a polymer with good antibacterial properties.The survival rate of E.coli and S.aureus was only 9%with a polymer concentration of 62.5μg/mL.     

Binuclear Aluminum Complexes Supported by Linked Bis(β-diketiminate) Ligands for Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cyclic Esters

Binuclear aluminum alkyl complexes 2a–4g supported by linked bis(β-diketiminate) ligands were synthesized via the reaction of AlEt_3 or AlMe_3 and the corresponding proligand in a 2:1 molar ratio with moderate yields. The isolated complexes were well-characterized by ~1H-NMR, ~(13)C-NMR and elemental analysis. The binuclear nature of aluminum complex 2b was further confirmed by an X-ray diffraction study. All complexes 2a–4g could efficiently initiate the ring-opening polymerization(ROP) of ε-caprolactone in toluene. The substituents at the aromatic rings and the linker unit in the auxiliary ligands exerted significant influence on the catalytic behavior of the investigated aluminum complexes. Complex 4g(R~1 = R~2 = Cl) containing propylenyl bridging unit exhibited the highest catalytic activity among these complexes, which might be attributed to the increased electrophilicity of the metal center as well as more opened coordination sphere. The molecular weights of obtained poly(ε-caprolactone)s deviating considerably from the theoretical values indicated that the ROP of ε-caprolactone by complexes 2a–4g was not well-controlled, which was also judged from the broad molecular weight distributions(MWD = 1.47-2.47) of produced poly(ε-caprolactone)s. These complexes proved to be inactive toward the polymerization of rac-lactide alone. In the presence of alcohol the polymerization occurred, which was actually initiated by the decomposition species of the aluminum complex upon the treatment with isopropanol.     

SINGLE LANTHANUM TRIS(N-PHENYLETHYL-3,5-DI-t-BUTYLSALICYLALDIMINATO)S INITIATOR FOR RING-OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF 1,4-DIOXAN-2-ONE IN BULK

A rare earth Schiff base complex:lanthanum tris(N-phenylethyl-3,5-di-t-butylsalicylaldiminato)s [La(OPEBS)_3] was successfully applied as single component initiator for the ring-opening polymerization of 1,4-dioxan-2-one (PDO) in bulk.The influence of reaction conditions,such as polymerization temperature,the molar ratio of the monomer to initiator (M/I) on the monomer conversion and molecular weight of the polymer has been investigated.Poly(1,4-dioxan-2-one) with a viscosity-average molecular weight (My...     

RING-OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF 1,4-DIOXAN-2-ONE INITIATED BY LANTHANUM TRIS（ 2,6-DI-TERT-BUTYL-4-METHYLPHENOLATE）

The ring-opening polymerization of 1,4-dioxan-2-one （PDO） was carried out by lanthanum tris（2,6-di-tert-butyl-4- methylphenolate） （La（OAr）3） as novel single component initiaLor. The influences of polymerization reaction temperature and the molar ratio of monomer to initiator on the monomer conversion and molecular weight of poly（1,4-dioxan-2-one） （PPDO） were explored. PPDO with high viscosity average molecular weight of 1.95×10^5 can be prepared at 40℃ when [PDO]/ [La（OAr）3] molar ratio was 800. Mechanism investigation shows that the polymerization proceeds through a ＂coordination- insertion＂ mechanism with selective rupture of acyl-oxygen be,nd of PDO.     

In situ generated,tetrahydrosalen stabilized yttrium borohydride complex:Efficient initiator for the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone

In this paper,we report the preparation of a new tertrahydrosalen-stabilized yttrium complex which was employed as an initiator-precursor for the polymerization ofε-caprolactone(ε-CL) in the presence of NaBH_4 to give interesting hydroxytelechelic poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL).The effect of[monomer]/[initiator]([CL]/[I]),temperature and time on the polymerization was investigated.It was found that under the condition:[CL]/[I]= 1200,55℃,toluene:0.5 mL,ε-CL:0.5 mL,PCL with M_w = 32,600 and PDI = 1.47 was obtai...     

Controlled/living ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone catalyzed by phosphoric acid

The bulk ring-opening polymerization(ROP) of ε-caprolactone(ε-CL) by various phosphoric acids using phenylmethanol as the initiator was conducted.1,1’-bi-2-Naphthol(BINOL)-based phosphoric acid was found to be an effective organocatalyst for ROP leading to polyesters at 90℃.The overall conversion to poly(ε-caprolactone) was more than 96% and poly(ε-caprolactone) with M w of 8400 and polydispersity index of 1.13 was obtained.1 H NMR spectra of oligomers demonstrated the quantitative incorporation of the protic initiator in the polymer chains and showed that transesterification reactions did not occur to a significant extent.The controlled polymerization was indicated by the linear relationships between the number-average molar mass and monomer conversion or monomer-to-initiator ratio.In addition,the present protocol provided an easy-to-handle,inexpensive and environmentally benign entry for the synthesis of biodegradable materials as well as polyesters for biomedical applications.     

An alternating copolymer of maleimide and atropic acid with narrow molecular weight distribution prepared by radical mechanism

Three basic conditions for preparation of alternating copolymer with narrow molecular weight distribution were derived from the element kinetic equations of binary radical copolymerization. Using maleimide (MI) and atropie acid (ATA) as model monomer pairs and dioxane as the solvent the alternating copolymer with molecular weight distribution in the range of 1.09--1.20 was prepared successfully by charger transfer complex (CTC) mechanism in the presence of benzoyl peroxide at 85℃. The monomer reactivity ratioes r_1(MI)=0.05±0.01 and r_2(ATA)=0.03±0.02 were measured. The alternating eopolymerization was carried out through formation of a contact-type CTG and then alternating addition of MI and ATA monomers. The molecular weight of the copolymers is nearly independent of the feed ratio in a large range and the polymerization rate dropped with an increase in ATA in feed ratio.     

Neodymium-catalyzed Polymerization of C5 Fraction: Efficient Synthesis of 1,3-Pentadiene-isoprene Copolymer Rubbers

The polymerization of C5 fraction without separation and concentration by using a commercial available Nd(P204)3/ AliBu3/AlEt2Cl has afforded for the first time a new kind of 1,3-pentadiene-isoprene random copolymers as rubber materials. Isoprene (IP) and E-1,3-pentadiene (EPD) acted as polymerization monomers, cyclopentadiene acted as poison, and other substances like alkanes, monoolefins, Z-1,3-pentadiene acted as solvents in this multicomponent C5 fraction polymerization system. The data of kinetic experiments, NMR, and DSC indicated that the polymerization of C5 fraction by Nd(P204)3/AliBu3/AlEt2Cl afforded the IP-EPD random copolymers. By controlling polymerization conditions such as [Al]/[Nd]/[Cl] molar ratio and polymerization temperature, the random EPD-IP copolymers containing high cis-1,4-poly(IP)(with selectivity 96%) and moderate cis-1,4-poly(EPD)(with selectivity 60%) units with a low glass transition temperature (about 60 ℃), controllable molecular weight (Mn = 3.8 × 10^4-14.3 × 104), and moderate molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn = 2.17-2.78) were obtained in a high yield.     

Hybrid Copolymerization via the Combination of Proton Transfer and Ring-opening Polymerization

Phosphazene base,t-BuP2,was employed to catalyze the proton transfer polymerization(PTP)of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate(HEA),and PTP was further combined with ring-opening polymerization(ROP)to exploit a new type of hybrid copolymerization.The studies on homopolymerization showed that t-BuP2 was a particularly efficient catalyst for the polymerization of HEA at room temperature,giving an excellent monomer conversion.Throughout the polymerization,transesterification reactions were unavoidable,which increased the randomness in the structures of the resulting polymers.The studies on copolymerization showed that t-BuP2 could simultaneously catalyze the hybrid copolymerization via the combination of PTP and ROP at 25°C.During copolymerization,HEA not only provided hydroxyl groups to initiate the ROP ofε-caprolactone(CL)but also participated in the polymerization as a monomer for PTP.The copolymer composition was approximately equal to the feed ratio,demonstrating the possibility to adjust the polymeric structure by simply changing the monomer feed ratio.This copolymerization reaction provides a simple method for synthesizing degradable functional copolymers from commercially available materials.Hence,it is important not only in polymer chemistry but also in environmental and biomedical engineering.     

THE POLYMERIZATION OF EPICHLOROHYDRIN WITH Nd(i-oPr)_3-Al(i-Bu)_3 SYSTEM

Epichlorohydrin (ECH) was polymerized with a rare earth catalytic system: Nd (i-OPr)_3-Al (i-Bu)_3. The effects of Al/Nd molar ratio, solvents, the polymerization time and temperature,the aging time and temperature of the catalyst preparation were studied. The results showed thatat a low Al/Nd molar ratio (4) of the Nd(i-OPr)_3-Al(i-Bu)_3 system ECH polymerized at a lowtemperature (248K) with a high conversion. The average molecular weight ofpolyepichlorohydrin (PECH) ranged from 1×10~5 to 3×10~5.     

POLYMERIZATION OF ETHYLENE WITH UNSYMMETRIC 2,6-BIS(IMINO)PYRIDINE IRON(Ⅱ)COMPLEX

An unsymmetric 2,6-bis(imino)pyridine iron(II) complex 1' was synthesized. The relationship between catalyststructure and its activity in ethylene polymerization is discussed. The kinetic behavior of ethylene polymerization and theeffects of polymerization conditions such as temperature, aluminum/iron molar ratio on the activity of catalyst and thecharacteristics of polyethylene were reported. The unsymmetric catalyst 1' has a good catalytic performance of 3.47×10~6 gPE·mol~(-1)·Fe·h~(-1) at 40℃ with aluminum/iron molar ratio = 2500. A dependence of catalyst activity on themethylaluminoxane (MAO) concentration and reaction temperature was found. The molecular weight (MW) of polyethylenewith broad dispersity is about 10~4-10~5 g/mol. The melting temperature and branching of polyethylenes vary with changingreaction temperature and aluminum/iron molar ratio.     

Polymerization of MMA catalyzed by different novel mixed ligand lanthanocene{(Cp)(Cl) LnSchiff-base (THF)},(COT) -Ln(methoxyethylindenyl)(THF) /Al (i -Bu)_3 systems

This article deals that the rare earth metal complexes along with Al(i'-Bu),can catalyze the polymerization of methyl-methacrylate (MMA) into high molecular weight poly(MMA) along with narrow molecular weight distributions (MWD).A typical example was mentioned in the case of {Cp(Cl) Sm-Schiff-base(THF)} which expresses maximum (conv.% = 55.46 and Mn=354×103) efficiency along with narrow MWD (Mw/Mn<2) at 60℃.The resulting polymer was partially syndiotactic (>60%).The effect of the catalyst,temperature,catalyst/MMA molar ratio,catalyst/Al( i-Bu)3 molar ratio on the polymerization of MMA at 60℃ were also investigated.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FOUR-ARMED BLOCK POLY(STYRENE-b-p-NITROPHENYL METHACRYLATE)PREPARED BY THE ATRP METHOD*

A novel tetrafunctional initiator, C [CH_2O (CH_2)_3 OOCCH(Br)CH_3]_4 (1), was synthesized through the reaction oftetraol with α-bromopropionyl chloride, and then was used as initiator of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) in thepreparation of 4-armed polystyrene (PSt) with narrow polydispersity. The structure, molecular weight and molecular weightdistribution (MWD) of each arm were studied by ~1H-NMR and GPC data of hydrolyzed products of the 4-armed PSt. TheATRP of St using 1/CuBr/bpy as initiator system is of "living" character based on the following evidence: narrow MWD,constant concentration of chain radical during the polymerization, control of molecular weight by the molar ratio of monomerconsumed to 1. The 4-armed poly(St-b-p-nitrophenyl methacrylate) [poly(St-b-NPMA)] was prepared by the ATRP ofNPMA using 4-armed PSt with terminal bromine as the initiator, and characterized by FT-IR, ~1H-NMR spectra and GPCcurves. The micelles with PSt as core, and PNPMA as shell were formed by dropping DMSO into a solution of 4-armedpoly(St-b-NPMA) in DMF, as proved by laser light scatter (LLS) method.     

THERMOSENSITIVITY OF NARROW-DISPERSED POLY(N-n-PROPYLACRYLAMIDE) PREPARED BY ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION

Controlled polymerization of N-n-propylacrylamide was achieved by atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) in a N,N-dimethylformamide-water mixture(50 vol%)at room temperature with methyl 2-chloropropinonate as initiator and CuCl/tris(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amine as the catalytic system in a ratio of 1:1:1.High molecular weight homopolymers(up to 3.7×10~4)with narrow molecular weight distribution(less than 1.2)were obtained.The living character of the polymerization was further demonstrated by self-block...