Ring-Opening Polymerization of L-Lactide in Supercritical Chlorodifluoromethane

The ring-opening polymerization of L -lactide initiated by 1-dodecanol/stannous 2-ethylhexanoate (DoOH/Sn(Oct)₂) was carried out in supercritical chlorodifluoromethane at various reaction times, pressures, and temperatures. The monomer conversion increased to ca 70 % on increasing the reaction time to 25 h. The molecular weight of the product also increased to ca 75,000 g/mol over the same period. Increasing the pressure resulted in an accelerated polymerization rate. The pressure-induced increase in the rate of L -LA polymerization can be explained by the formation of chemical bonds in the transition state, which implies the production of a transition state with a lower partial molar volume than the reactants.     

Mechanism of lactide polymerization in the presence of stannous octoate: The effect of hydroxy and carboxylic acid substances

The effect of hydroxy and carboxylic acid substances on lactide polymerization in the presence of stannous octoate was investigated. A polymerization mechanism was postulated to attempt to explain the controversies existing in the literature and also to explain our experimental observations. Stannous alkoxide, a reaction product between stannous octoate and alcohol, is proposed as the substance initiating the polymerization through coordinative insertion of lactide. Alcohol can affect the polymerization through the reactions of initiator formation, chain transfer, and transesterfication. Carboxylic acid affects the polymerization through a deactivation reaction. Experiments showed that alcohol increased PLLA production rate while carboxylic acid decreased it. Both alcohol and carboxylic acid reduced PLLA final molecular weight. The higher the alcohol concentration, the lower the polymer molecular weight. However, the final molecular weight of PLLA was not sensitive to the carboxylic acid concentration. A polymerization induction period was observed at high carboxylic acid concentration, due to the deactivation reaction caused by carboxylic acid. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

开环聚合-固相缩聚法制备立体嵌段聚乳酸

首先,采用乳酸为引发剂,辛酸亚锡为催化剂,引发丙交酯开环聚合制得具有缩聚活性的L-聚乳酸和D-聚乳酸;然后,将两者熔融共混后进行固相缩聚,合成了一系列立体嵌段聚乳酸。采用核磁共振(NMR)、凝胶渗透色谱(GPC)及差示扫描量热仪(DSC)分析了产物的链结构、重均分子量、热性能,并探讨了均相晶体和立体复合晶体共存情况下的固相缩聚机理。结果表明,固相缩聚产物分子量增长的适宜反应条件为:反应时间30h,较低的催化剂含量,L-聚乳酸质量分数为80%。L-聚乳酸和D-聚乳酸共混物较低的初始立体复合晶体结晶度有利于后续固相缩聚过程中产物分子量的增长;固相缩聚不仅发生在异链之间,而且也发生在同链之间。     

以季戊四醇为引发剂的星形聚对二氧环己酮的合成

本文以辛酸亚锡(SnOct2)为催化剂,以季戊四醇(PTOL)为引发剂,引发对二氧环己酮PDO单体开环聚合,合成了具有新颖结构的星形PPDO,研究了单体和引发剂的比例、单体和催化剂的比例、温度、时间等反应条件对聚合反应的影响,结果表明,通过调节PDO和PTOL的比例可以控制聚合产物的分子量。     

Modeling of L-lactide Polymerization by Reactive Extrusion

The kinetics of L-lactide ring-opening polymerization initiated by stannous octoate and triphenylphosphine was investigated in a batch apparatus (Haake Rheocord Mixer). Based on the experimental data, a kinetic model is developed, considering a coordination-insertion mechanism. Reactive extrusion experiments were further conducted for the same polymerization process, on a co-rotating twin screw extruder. The melted material flow and mixing was described by using the Ludovic® commercial simulator. Based on the developed kinetic model and simulated flow of L-lactide polymerization mixture, a mathematical model of reactive extrusion process is formulated, describing the evolutions of monomer conversion and average molecular weight along the extruder. The model is predicting with a reasonable good accuracy the experimental data.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel biodegradable poly(ester amide) with ether linkage in the backbone chain

A series of biodegradable poly(ester amide)s having ether linkages in the main chain were synthesized by ring‐opening copolymerization of 3‐morpholinone (M) and ε‐caprolactone (CL) in bulk with stannous octoate, aluminium isopropoxide, or aluminium isobutoxide as an initiator. The influence of reaction conditions such as polymerization temperature, polymerization time, initiator, and initiator concentration on the monomer conversion and molecular weight are investigated. The comonomer reactivity ratios were determined (M 0.74 and CL 1.28). The water absorption of the polymers increased with increasing M content. In vitro degradation data and the release profiles of 5‐Fluorouracil showed that both the degradation rate and drug‐release rate increase with an enhanced M content in the copolymers. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 4550–4555, 2002     

Ring-opening precipitation polymerization of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) in supercritical carbon dioxide

The biodegradable polymer poly(D ,L -lactide-co-glycolide) was synthesized by a ring-opening precipitation polymerization in supercritical CO₂ using stannous octoate as initiator. Following polymerization, unreacted monomer was removed by supercritical fluid extraction and the polymer was recovered as a porous solid upon depressurization of the CO₂ phase. The lactide to glycolide ratio of the polymer was determined to be 70.7 : 29.3 using ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The weight-average molecular weight of the product was measured to be 3 500, with a polydispersity of 1.4 using gel permeation chromatography.     

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...     

三臂支化PLLA-PDLA嵌段共聚物的合成及立构复合结晶行为

以三羟甲基乙烷为起始剂, 开环聚合L-丙交酯(LLA), 合成三臂支化左旋聚乳酸(PLLA)预聚物. 采用端基活化技术对预聚物进行端羟基活化, 再与D-丙交酯(DLA)进行开环聚合, 合成了不同分子量的三臂支化左旋聚乳酸-右旋聚乳酸(PLLA-PDLA)嵌段共聚物. 采用核磁共振谱和凝胶渗透色谱等对样品的结构和分子量进行测试, 结果表明,合成的嵌段共聚物链结构具有链段立构规整度和高分子量的特点; 通过调节DLA单体与PLLA预聚物的投料比, 可实现对PLLA-PDLA嵌段共聚物的序列结构调控. 差示扫描量热仪和广角X 射线衍射结果表明, 三臂支化PLLA-PDLA嵌段共聚物的异构体分子间生成立构复合晶体, 其熔点高于200℃; 共聚物的嵌段序列结构对材料的凝聚态转变行为有很大的影响.     

Synthesis of Polylactide: Effect of Dispersion of the Initiator

The ring opening polymerization of L-lactide was studied in bulk using stannous octoate as initiator. In some experiments, triphenylphosphine, a Lewis base was also used as co-initiator. The polymerization was carried out at 130°C up to 29 h. The monomer was used after recrystallizing three times with dry toluene. Experiments were carried out using a wide range of monomer to initiator ratio. The averages and distributions of molar masses of resulting PLA have been determined by means of size exclusion chromatography, SEC. It is shown that the (mode, process) procedure of dispersion of the catalyst in polymerization system affects the molar mass distribution of the product as is evidenced by the bimodality or even trimodality observed in the SEC chromatograms.     

乙醇或乙醇-水为新的溶剂体系沉淀聚合制备单分散聚合物微球

以三羟甲基丙烷三丙烯酸酯(TMPTA)作交联剂,, 苯乙烯 (St) 作共聚单体,, 偶氮二异丁腈(AIBN)作引发剂,, 在低毒性乙醇和乙醇-水混合物这一新的溶剂体系中沉淀聚合反应4 h制备了单分散交联微球. 通过提高交联剂用量、引发剂用量和改变反应介质中水的用量探讨了提高单体转化率的方法. 结果表明,, 提高引发剂用量和增加溶剂中水的用量都能有效提高单体转化率并制得粒径均匀的微球. 保持其他条件不变,, 在乙醇中使用2 wt% AIBN仅能得到79%的单体转化率,, 提高AIBN用量至6 wt%或在介质中增加水的用量至28 vol%,, 在制得单分散微球的同时单体转化率可以达到95%以上. 文中对微球的形成机理和提高单体转化率的方法给出了理论解释.     

Emulsion copolymerization of D,L‐lactide and glycolide in supercritical carbon dioxide

Biodegradable polyesters were synthesized via an emulsion polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC‐CO₂). Copolymers of lactide and glycolide were synthesized in SC‐CO₂ with stannous octoate as the ring‐opening catalyst and a fluorocarbon polymer surfactant as an emulsifying agent. The conversion of lactide and glycolide was monitored with respect to the reaction time and temperature with ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The conversion of glycolide surpassed 99% within 72 h for an SC‐CO₂ phase maintained at 200 bar and 70 °C. Under the same conditions, lactide conversion reached 65% after 72 h of polymerization. Unpolymerized monomer was removed after the reaction by extraction with an SC‐CO₂ mobile phase. The molecular weights of all the copolymers were measured by gel permeation chromatography. Weight‐average molecular weights (M_w) ranged between 2500 and 30,200 g/mol and polydispersity indices ranged from 1.4 to 2.3 for polymerization times of 6 and 48 h, respectively. Although the molecular weight increased significantly during the first 48 h of reaction, there was no significant difference in the M_w for polymerization times of 48 and 72 h. Emulsion polymerization within the benign solvent SC‐CO₂ demonstrated improved conversion and molecular weight versus polymers synthesized without surfactant. The emulsion polymerization of lactide and glycolide copolymers in SC‐CO₂ is proposed as a novel production technique for high‐purity, biodegradable polymers. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 562–570, 2001     

Preparation of polyvinylpyrrodione microspheres by dispersion polymerization

The preparation of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) microspheres in ethyl acetate by dispersion polymerization with N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) as initial monomer, poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (P (NVP-co-VAc)) as dispersant, and 2, 2′-azobisisobutyronitrile(AIBN) as initiator is reported. The influences of monomer concentration, dispersant concentration and initiator concentration on the size of PVP microspheres as well as the monomer conversion were studied. The structure and properties of PVP microspheres were analyzed. The results show that the prepared PVP microspheres have a mean diameter of 3-4 μm. With an increase in NVP concentration, the size and the molecular weight of the PVP microspheres as well as the monomer conversion all increase. With increasing P(NVP-co-VAc) concentrations, the PVP molecular weight and monomer conversion both increase while the size of the microspheres becomes smaller. As the concentration of AIBN increases, the microsphere size and monomer conversion increase whereas the PVP molecular weight decreases. The PVP prepared by dispersion polymerization has a crystal structure, and its molecular weight is lower compared to that prepared by solution polymerization. __________ Translated from Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2007, 11 (in Chinese)     

Measurement of Monomer Reactivity Ratios of D,L-3-Methylglycolide with Glycolide or D,L-Lactide

Polylactides, polyglycolide and copolymers based on them, are still gaining interestbecause of the numerous applications in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fieldsl. Theyare usually prepared by bulk homo- and co-polymerizations of lactides, glycolideinitiated with stannous octoate (Snoot,) because Snoot, is a highly efficient commercialcatalyst and a permitted food additive in numerous countriesl-2. However, the propertiesof poly(D,L-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (D,L-PLGA) have widely va…     

Melt block copolymerization of ϵ-caprolactone and L-lactide

AB block copolymers of ϵ-caprolactone and (L )-lactide could be prepared by ring-opening polymerization in the melt at 110°C using stannous octoate as a catalyst and ethanol as an initiator provided ϵ-caprolactone was polymerized first. Ethanol initiated the polymerization of ϵ-caprolactone producing a polymer with ϵ-caprolactone derived hydroxyl end groups which after addition of L -lactide in the second step of the polymerization initiated the ring-opening copolymerization of L -lactide. The number-average molecular weights of the poly(ϵ-caprolactone) blocks varied from 1.5 to 5.2 × 10³, while those of the poly(L -lactide) blocks ranged from 17.4 to 49.7 × 10³. The polydispersities of the block copolymers varied from 1.16 to 1.27. The number-average molecular weights of the polymers were controlled by the monomer/hydroxyl group ratio, and were independent on the monomer/stannous octoate ratio within the range of experimental conditions studied. When L -lactide was polymerized first, followed by copolymerization of ϵ-caprolactone, random copolymers were obtained. The formation of random copolymers was attributed to the occurrence of transesterification reactions. These side reactions were caused by the ϵ-caprolactone derived hydroxyl end groups generated during the copolymerization of ϵ-caprolactone with pre-polymers of L -lactide. The polymerization proceeds through an ester alcoholysis reaction mechanism, in which the stannous octoate activated ester groups of the monomers react with hydroxyl groups. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of high molecular weight poly(methyl methacrylate) microspheres by suspension polymerization in the presence of silver nanoparticles

To prepare high molecular weight (HMW) poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/silver microspheres, methyl methacrylate was suspension-polymerized in the presence of silver nanoparticles using a low-temperature initiator at different conditions. The rate of conversion was increased with increasing initiator concentration. In the case of adding silver nanoparticles, the rate of polymerization decreased slightly. High monomer conversion (about 95%) was obtained in spite of low polymerization temperature of 30 °C. Under controlled conditions, PMMA/silver microspheres with various viscosity-average degree of polymerization (6,000–37,000) were prepared.     

含芳酰胺结构的新型甲壳型液晶高分子PMPACS的聚合反应动力学研究

采用称量法和GPC,研究了以二甲基乙酰胺为溶剂,偶氮二异丁腈为引发剂,自由基溶液聚合制备含芳酰胺结构的新型甲壳型液晶高分子聚[乙烯基对苯二甲酸二(4-甲氧基苯胺)](PMPACS)的聚合反应动力学.研究发现,(1)MPACS的聚合反应在60℃时主要为双基偶合终止,所以反应后期聚合物分子量明显增大,分子量分布变窄;(2)该反应的聚合反应速率方程为Rp=kp[M][I]1/2,表观活化能Eα=44 kJ/mol,在60℃时的聚合反应常数kp=1.04 L·mol-1·h-1;(3)相同聚合条件下,单体的转化率和数均分子量随单体初始浓度[M]0的增加而增大,当引发剂浓度[I]0增加时,聚合物的分子量随之降低,分子量分布增大;(4)该研究虽采用普通自由基聚合,所得聚合物的分子量分布却较窄,仅为1.1～1.4.     

Synthesis,crystallization, and morphology of star‐shaped poly(ε‐caprolactone)

Six‐arm star‐shaped poly(ε‐caprolactone) (sPCL) was successfully synthesized via the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone with a commercial dipentaerythritol as the initiator and stannous octoate (SnOct₂) as the catalyst in bulk at 120 °C. The effects of the molar ratios of both the monomer to the initiator and the monomer to the catalyst on the molecular weight of the polymer were investigated in detail. The molecular weight of the polymer linearly increased with the molar ratio of the monomer to the initiator, and the molecular weight distribution was very low (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight = 1.05–1.24). However, the molar ratio of the monomer to the catalyst had no apparent influence on the molecular weight of the polymer. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated that the maximal melting point, cold crystallization temperature, and degree of crystallinity of the sPCL polymers increased with increasing molecular weight, and crystallinities of different sizes and imperfect crystallization possibly did not exist in the sPCL polymers. Furthermore, polarized optical microscopy analysis indicated that the crystallization rate of the polymers was in the order of linear poly(ε‐caprolactone) (LPCL) > sPCL5 > sPCL1 (sPCL5 had a higher molecular weight than both sPCL1 and LPCL, which had similar molecular weights). Both LPCL and sPCL5 exhibited a good spherulitic morphology with apparent Maltese cross patterns, whereas sPCL1 showed a poor spherulitic morphology. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5449–5457, 2005     

Biodegradable Polymers for Orthopedic Applications: Synthesis and Processability of Poly (l-Lactide) and Poly (Lactide-co-€-Caprolactone)

Abstract

The synthesis of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA), poly(l-lactide-co-e-caprolactone), and poly(DL-lactide-co-e-caprolactone) by ring-opening bulk polymerization was investigated. Polymerization temperature had a significant effect on the PLLA molecular weight. At 184°C a polymer with a molecular weight of only 10 × 10⁴ resulted. This was lower by a factor of 2 than that obtained at 103 and 145°C. The stannous octoate (SnOct) concentration, with a monomer/SnOct molar ratio in the range of 1,000 to 10,000, was not found to have a significant effect on the PLLA molecular weight. A heterogeneous structure in polymerized PLLA was observed. The intrinsic viscosity of poly(lactide-co-€-caprolactone), obtained at 130°C, monomer/SnOct molar ratio 5,000, and polymerization time of 30 hours, decreased with increasing €-caprolactone content within the first 9 wt% and then leveled off. Die-drawing of PLLA cylinders, for the purpose of increasing the polymer's mechanical strength, was unsuccessful due to the brittleness of the polymer. The drawability of poly(l-lactide), however, was greatly improved by copolymerization with €-caprolactone. With only 3 wt% of €-caprolactone, for example, the tensile strength of die-drawn poly(l-lactide-co-e-caprolactone) was increased by a factor of more than 3. Polymer processing temperature was also investigated. The requirement for low processing temperatures in melt manufacture of controlled release matrix devices containing thermal sensitive drugs was accomplished by three methods: through the use of low molecular weight poly(DL-lactide), adding (DL-lactic) acid oligomer to high molecular weight PDLLA, and copolymerizing DLLA with €-caprolactone. The glass transition temperatures of the modified high molecular weight PDLLA decreased significantly. Melt extrusion below 100°C could be performed.     

Use of germanium initiators in ring‐opening polymerization of L‐lactide

Three different, new germanium initiators were used for ring‐opening polymerization of L ‐lactide. Chlorobenzene and 120 °C was a usable polymerization system for solution polymerization, and the results from the polymerizations depended on the initiator structure and bulkiness around the insertion site. The average molecular weights as measured by size exclusion chromatography increased linearly with the monomer conversion, and the molecular weight dispersity was around 1.2 for initiators 1 and 2 , whereas it was around 1.4 for initiator 3 . The average molecular weight of poly(L ‐lactide) could be controlled with all three initiators by adding different ratios of monomer and initiator. The reaction rate for the solution polymerization was, however, overall extremely slow. With an initial monomer concentration of 1 M and a monomer‐to‐initiator ratio of 50, the conversion was 93% after 161 h for the fastest initiator. In bulk polymerization, 160 °C, the conversion was 90% after 10 h. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3074–3082, 2003