Random Copolymers of 1,5-Dioxepan-2-one

ABSTRACT

Copolymers of 1,5-dioxepan-2-one (DXO) and e-caprolactone (?-CL), δ-valerolactone (δ-VL) or L-lactide (LLA) have been synthesized and characterized. High molecular weight copolymers were obtained using stannous-2-ethyl hexanoate as catalyst in bulk. Reactivity ratios for the copolymerization of DXO and δ-VL were determined at 110°C as r_VL=0.5 and r_DXO=2.3. At high conversion, depolymerization of δ-VL occurred, resulting in lower molecular weight and variations in the copolymer composition.

Physical properties, such as crystallinity and melting temperature of the DXO-copolymers proved to be strongly dependent on the choice of comonomer and on the molar composition of the copolymers. DXO appears to be incorporated into the poly-?-caprolactone (PCL) crystals and to some extent into the poly-δ-valerolactone (PVL) crystals, resulting in a more gradual decrease in crystallinity with increasing amount of DXO.     

辛酸镁催化L-丙交酯与ε-己内酯共聚及其共聚物结构与性能研究

以无毒性的辛酸镁为催化剂催化L-丙交酯和ε-己内酯本体开环共聚合,制备了一系列不同单体配比的共聚物.首先用1H-NMR跟踪了共聚合单体转化率,显示L-LA聚合速率显著快于ε-CL.用13C-NMR分析共聚物微观结构和计算单体单元平均序列长度(LLLe和LCe),表明聚合过程中酯交换反应导致单元序列结构重新分布.随着反应进行,LLLe急剧下降而LCe逐渐增加后稍有降低,游程数逐渐增大,共聚物无规度提高.反应初期主要是一级酯交换反应,二级酯交换反应导致的CLC序列结构在反应后期才观察到.由Fineman-Ross法计算出L-丙交酯和ε-己内酯的竞聚率分别为rLA=23和rCL=0.22,表明在聚合反应初期L-LA单体优先插入聚合物增长链端,形成LL单元长嵌段结构.共聚物组成显著影响单元序列长度,各序列长度随相应单体加入量增加而增长.二级酯交换系数(TII[CLC])随ε-CL含量增加而增大.对于整个组成范围内,根据竞聚率计算的LLLr值始终要大于聚合产物的LLLe,而LCr计算值小于或接近LCe实验值.因此,共聚物单元序列分布随共聚物投料比和反应时间而改变,趋向于无规分布.以DSC和XRD分析了共聚物热性能和结晶性,表明共聚物结晶性与单元序列长度密切相关.所有共聚物只有一个玻璃化转变温度Tg,符合无规共聚物的Fox方程,说明所得共聚物为无规共聚物,或者说包含有相容性嵌段成分的共聚物.     

Copolymer of lactide and ε-caprolactone catalyzed by bimetallic Schiff base aluminum complexes

A series of copolymers of lactide(LA) and e-caprolactone(ε-CL) with different monomer feed ratios were achieved using three kinds of bimetallic Schiff aluminum complexes as catalysts. The ratios of LA and ε-CL units in different copolymers and the average segments length were determined by NMR analysis. The comparative kinetic study of L-LA/ε-CL and rac-LA/ε-CL copolymerization systems showed that the polymerization rate of LA was faster than ε-CL, and L-LA showed polymerization rate slightly faster than rac-LA. It was inferred that the copolymers achieved by these complexes were gradient copolymers with gradual change in distribution of LA and e-CL units. The thermal properties of these copolymers were characterized by DSC analysis, which showed that the glass transition temperature(Tg) of these copolymers changed regularly according to the pro-portion change of two structural units.     

Copolymerisation of ε-caprolactone and trimethylene carbonate catalysed by methanesulfonic acid

The copolymerisation of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) and trimethylene carbonate (TMC) catalysed by methanesulfonic acid was investigated. Preliminary copolymerisation tests using a monofunctional initiator confirm that the side bidirectional propagation previously detected in the homopolymerisation of TMC is also present in the copolymerisation. The comonomers in the ε-CL/TMC system do not follow first order kinetics. The values of the reactivity ratios obtained by the Kellen–Tüdös method (r_ε-CL = 2.90; r_TMC = 0.62) suggest that random copolymerisation can be achieved, although the copolymer will be richer in ε-CL. Dihydroxyl-telechelic ε-CL/ TMC random copolymers were prepared using a bifunctional initiator. ¹H and ¹³C NMR, SEC and DSC measurements show that the poly(TMC-co-ε-CL) samples presented the expected microstructural characteristics, a unimodal molar-mass distribution and a very narrow polydispersity. Based on these features a novel route for the preparation of block copolyesters with tuned properties, and highly regarded in the development of materials for biomedicine, may be foreseen.     

Synthesis of degradable copolymers by ring-opening polymerization

Hydrolysable copolymers made from different cyclic monomers have been studied. The monomers involved are 1,5-dioxepan-2-one (DXO), L-dilactide, 1,3-dioxan-2-one (TMC), oxepan-2,7-dione (AA) and oxepan-2-one (ϵ-CL). The hydrolysis of the DXO/L-dilactide copolymer showed great differences in degradation rate depending on composition. A statistical copolymer made from TMC and ϵ-CL was amorphous with a glass transition temperature of −48°C. TMC and AA could form a blockcopolymer with n-BuLi as initiator in toluene, 0°C.     

The copolymerization of L-lactide and ε-caprolactone using magnesium octoate as a catalyst

Copolymerizations of L-lactide (L-LA) and ε-caprolactone (ε-CL)were conducted in bulk using magnesium octoate as a catalyst.The reactivity ratios of L-LA and ε-CL were determined to be rL=23 and rC=0.22,respectively.The sequence analyses of the copolymers were performed on 13C NMR. An increase in the reaction temperature enhances the role of transesterification and the extent of randomness.     

Anionic polymerization of lactones initiated by alkali graphitides. IV. Copolymerization of ε-caprolactone initiated by KC24

The copolymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) with octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄) and styrene (St) under the action of the second-stage potassium graphitide KC₂₄ was investigated. The copolymerizations were carried out in bulk or in xylene at 20°C. The content of the block copolymer ε-CL/D₄ in the polymerization mixture was 60–95%, the molecular weight ranging between 150,000 and 300,000. The data for the copolymers' composition obtained by ¹H-NMR and GPC showed 14–20% of D₄-units in the copolymer. The amount of the block copolymer ε-CL/St in the polymerization products was 0–87%, and the molecular weights in the case of copolymer formation were between 100,000 and 500,000. The content of St-units in the copolymers was from 10 to 75% as shown by GPC and ¹H-NMR. The mechanism of action of the initiator is discussed.     

The copolymerization of L-lactide and ε-caprolactone using magnesium octoate as a catalyst

Copolymerizations of L-lactide （L-LA） and ε-caprolactone （ε-CL） were conducted in bulk using magnesium octoate as a catalyst. The reactivity ratios of L-LA and ε-CL were determined to be rL=23 and rc=0.22, respectively. The sequence analyses of the copolymers were performed on ^13C NMR. An increase in the reaction temperature enhances the role of transesterification and the extent of randomness.     

Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone and its Copolymerization with γ-Butyrolactone using Metal Complexes

Solution polymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) was performed using four different initiators namely: tin(II) octanoate (Sn(Oct)₂)/ethanolamine, aluminium Schiff's base complex-HAPENAlOⁱPr, lithium diisopropyl amide (LDA) and aluminium isopropoxide. The reaction conditions varied with the initiator used. LDA gave rise to the most rapid polymerization with the highest amount of cyclic species as detected by ¹³C NMR. However, no cyclic species were detected when HAPENAlOⁱPr was used as initiator. The tin(II) octanoate/ethanolamine system lead to an α,ω-dihydroxy-polycaprolactone (PCL). The copolymerization of ε-CL was then performed with the hard to oligomerize γ-butyrolactone using the four initiators. GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography) analyses showed the formation of copolymers. The highest incorporation of polybutyrolactone (PBL) in the copolymer was obtained using HAPENAlOⁱPr as evidenced by ¹H NMR. ¹³C NMR indicated the presence of pseudoperiodic random copolymers with short blocks of PCL whose block length varied with initiator used. The longest and shortest block length were obtained using Sn(Oct)₂ and HAPENAlOⁱPr respectively as calculated from ¹³C NMR. The reactivity ratios were determined using the Finemann-Ross method at low conversion with HAPENAlOⁱPr as initiator. The values obtained, r_CL = 19.4 and r_BL = 0.11, confirmed the presence of long blocks of CL units in the copolymer.     

Synthesis of degradable crosslinked polymers based on 1,5-dioxepan-2-one and crosslinker of bis-ϵ-caprolactone type

Poly(lactones) may be crosslinked by ring-opening polymerization of the corresponding cyclic esters in the presence of tetrafunctional bis(ϵ-caprolactone). The homopolymer of 1.5-dioxepan-2-one (DXO) has poor mechanical properties but also some very good properties, such as biocompatibility and degradability. Crosslinking of degradable polymer based on the poly(ether-ester) DXO was performed with crosslinkers having the same reactivity as the monomer. 2,2-Bis(ϵ-caprolactone-4-yl)propane (BCP) and bis(ϵ-caprolactone-4-yl) (BCY) with tetrafunctionalities were synthesized from the corresponding diols and then used as comonomers during the polymerization of DXO. The comonomers showed the same reactivity to the initiator, stanneous 2-ethylhexanoic acid, as DXO and perfectly random crosslinked films were obtained. The crosslinked films showed a high degree of swelling already at 2–3 mol % BCP or BCY. The BCP crosslinker was somewhat less soluble in DXO at lower temperatures, but all BCP was soluble at 180°C. These polymeric films were elastic with no crystallinity and the T_g values increased from −39°C for pure DXO to −35°C for BCP crosslinked films and −21°C for BCY crosslinked ones. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 1635–1649, 1997     

Synthesis, characterization and degradability of the comb-type poly(4-hydroxyl-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone)-g-poly(l-lactide)

The novel comb-type biodegradable graft copolymers based on ε-caprolactone and l-lactide were synthesized. Firstly, 2-oxepane-1,5-dione (OPD) was synthesized by the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of 1,4-cyclohexanedione, and was subsequently copolymerized with ε-caprolactone (CL) to produce poly(2-oxepane-1,5-dione-co-ε-caprolactone) (POCL) catalyzed by stannous(II) 2-ethylhexanoate in toluene. Then, POCL was converted into poly(4-hydroxyl-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone) (PHCL) using sodium borohydride as reductant. Finally, poly(4-hydroxyl-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone)-g-poly(l-lactide) (PHCL-g-PLLA) were prepared successfully by bulk ring-opening polymerization of l-lactide using PHCL as a macro-initiator. All the copolymers have been characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, DSC, and GPC. Compared with the random copolymer of poly(CL-co-LA), the elongation is highly increased. And the thermal analysis showed that the crystallization rate of the PCL backbone in the graft copolymers was greatly reduced compared to the PCL homopolymer. The hydrolytic degradation of the copolymer was much faster in a phosphate buffer (pH = 7.4) at 37 °C, which is confirmed by the weight loss and change of intrinsic viscosity.     

Exploitation of dinuclear salan aluminum complexes for versatile copolymerization of ε-caprolactone and L-lactide

By combining the influence of excess alcohol, temperature and monomer-to-initiator ratios in the feed, dinuclear salan aluminum complexes L(R)Al(2)Me(4) exhibited a high degree of control towards the copolymerization of L-LA and ε-CL, producing blocky, gradient, tapered and random copolymers.     

A convenient method to prepare random LA/CL copolymers from poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>-lactide) and ε-caprolactone

Sequential addition of L-lactide (LA) followed by ε-caprolactone (CL), and simultaneous addition of both monomers, afforded random LA/CL copolymers in the presence of lanthanide aryloxides under mild conditions. Transesterification was proved to play a predominant role in random copolymer formation. Moreover, treatment of poly(L-lactide) with ε-CL led to random copolymer formation, which provides a new strategy not only to prepare random LA/CL copolymers, but also to directly modify PLLA.     

三氟化硼-乙醚络合物催化γ-戊内酯与ε-己内酯开环共聚的研究

以三氟化硼乙醚络合物为催化剂,进行了γ-戊内酯(γ-VL)与ε-己内酯(ε-CL)的本体开环共聚的研究.采用1H -NMR、13C- NMR证实了所得共聚物的结构,并对共聚物的分子量、组成、熔点等进行了表征.结果表明,在一定的条件下,难以均聚的γ-VL可与ε-CL发生共聚反应,从而在共聚物链结构中引入少量的γVL单元.γVL单元的引入使得共聚物的分子量和熔点下降.由K- T法估算出两种单体共聚的竞聚率分别为r(ε-CL)=17.6,r(γ-VL)=0.0078.     

Preparation of poly(butylene-co-ε-caprolactone carbonate) and their use as drug carriers for a controlled delivery system

Poly(butylene-co-ε-caprolactone carbonate) (PBCCL) was successfully synthesized via terpolymerization of carbon dioxide, 1,2-butylene oxide (BO), and ε-caprolactone (ε-CL). ε-CL was inserted into the backbone of BO-CO₂. The glass transition temperature (T_g) and the decomposition temperature (T_d) of PBCCL were much higher than those of poly(butylene carbonate) (PBC). The degradation rate of PBCCL was higher than that of PBC in a pH 7.4 phosphate-buffered solution. ε-CL offered an ester structural unit that gave the terpolymers remarkable degradability. PBC and PBCCL microcapsules containing a hydrophilic antibiotic drug pazufloxacin mesilate (PZFX) were elaborated by solvent evaporation method based on the formation of double W/O/W emulsion. Microcapsules were characterized in terms of the morphology, size, amount of encapsulated, and encapsulation efficiency. The results showed that the microcapsules had smooth and spherical surfaces, and the mean diameter of the microcapsules was in the range of 0.5–1 μm. Of all, 87.90% drug encapsulation efficiency has been achieved for microcapsules of 38.21% drug loading. In vitro drug release of these microcapsules was performed in a pH 7.4 phosphate-buffered solution. The release profiles were investigated from the measurement of PZFX presented in the release medium at various intervals. The release profiles of PZFX from PBC and PBCL microcapsules were found to be biphasic with a burst release followed by a gradual release phase. The release rate of PZFX from the microcapsules increased with increasing the content of ε-CL inserted into the copolymers. It showed that the release profiles of PZFX were highly polymer-dependent. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. JPolym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2152–2160, 2007     

Anionic Copolymerization of ε-Caprolactam with ω-Laurolactam

Polyamide 6/12 copolymers were prepared by employing two different initiation systems containing activator N-benzoyl-ε-caprolactam (BzCL) and initiator either sodium salt of ε-caprolactam (CLNa) or ε-caprolactam magnesium bromide (CLMgBr). Materials prepared by initiation with CLNa show one melting endotherm and are random copolymers. Materials prepared by initiation with CLMgBr show two melting endotherms and are probably composed from random copolymer and block copolymer containing blocks of random copolymer and blocks of copolymer with ε-caprolactam rich segments. The character of copolymers and fractionalized materials was evaluated by means of DSC and NMR.     

Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(α-cinnamyl-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone) diblock copolymer nanocarriers for enhanced solubilization of caffeic acid phenethyl ester

We report novel micellar carriers, comprising pendant cinnamyl moieties in the core-forming block, designed to increase the solubilization of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) in aqueous media. Amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(α-cinnamyl-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone) (PEO-b-P(CyCL-co-CL) diblock copolymers were synthesized by ring-opening copolymerization of α-propargyl-ε-caprolactone and ε-caprolactone from a monofunctional PEO macroinitiator and subsequent attachment of cinnamyl groups via click reaction. In addition, a linear PEO-b-PCL diblock copolymer was synthesized and used in this study for comparison. Next, nanosized micelles from PEO-b-P(CyCL-co-CL) and PEO-b-PCL were formed via the solvent evaporation method and then loaded with CAPE. Dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize both blank and loaded carriers. The potential of the micelles comprising pendant cinnamyl group to solubilize CAPE in water was evaluated in a comparative fashion to that of nonmodified PEO-b-PCL diblock copolymer.     

Biocompatible polymeric systems: Copolymerization of 4-methacryloyloxy-acetanilide with 2-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate

Soluble copolymers of 4-methacryloyloxy-acetanilide (M), an acrylic derivative of paracetamol, with 2-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate (H) were prepared by free radical polymerization in DMF solution at 50°C, using 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator. The reactivity ratios of both monomers were determined by the application of conventional linearization methods suggested by Fineman-Ross and Kelen-Tudos. The results obtained make clear that this system copolymerizes at random with the reactivity ratios r_m = 2.15 ± 0.05 and r_H = 0.90 ± 0.10. The microstructure of copolymer chains is described on the basis of the first order Markov statistics. The copolymer glass transition temperatures were determined calorimetrically and the variation of T_g with the copolymer composition is discussed according to modern methods, considering the sequence distribution of monomeric units along the copolymer chains. Also the T_g of the corresponding homopolymers were determined giving the values of T_g(M) = 471 K and T_g(H) = 358 K.     

Effect of microwave energy on chain propagation of poly(ε-caprolactone) in benzoic acid-initiated ring opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone

Microwave-assisted ring opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) initiated by benzoic acid was investigated. The molar ratio of ε-CL to benzoic acid was 5, 15 and 25. The mixtures of ε-CL/benzoic acid were heated under microwave irradiation and the temperatures were self-regulated to equilibrium from 204 to 240 °C with microwave power ranging from 340 to 680 W. The polymer chain propagated fast between 160 and 230 °C, within which the higher the temperature, the faster the propagation. However, when the temperature was over 230 °C, the resultant poly-(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) degraded. The advantage of microwave-assisted polymerization was that the propagation of PCL chain was significantly enhanced but the formation of growing center at the beginning stage of the polymerization was greatly inhibited. With this metal-free method, PCL with weight-average molar mass (M_w) over 4×10⁴ g/mol was prepared.     

Hydroxyl end-capped macromers of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone as precursors of amphiphilic block copolymers

Telechelic N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NVP) oligomers terminated by hydroxyl groups were prepared by radical polymerization in the presence of functional chain transfer agents. Then hydroxy-terminated poly(NVP) was used as initiator in the ring opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL). Experiments were performed either under basic conditions or by using SnOct₂ or ZnEt₂ as catalyst. The resulting amphiphilic AB-type block copolymers were thoroughly characterized by spectroscopic and thermal techniques. These data and fractionation in protic solvents indicated that the copolymerization products are constituted by a mixture of copolymers with a wide composition range. The water-soluble copolymer fractions formed micelles and nanoaggregates that showed an appreciable capacity of loading piroxicam, a hydrophobic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, and surface plasmon resonance measurements indicated that the surface of films prepared from the insoluble fractions does not have antiopsonizing properties in spite of their high hydrophilicity.