Bulk polymerization of p‐dioxanone using a cyclic tin alkoxide as initiator

Poly(p‐dioxanone) with an inherent viscosity of over 1 dL/g has been synthesized using the cyclic tin alkoxide 1‐di‐n‐butyl‐1‐stanna‐2,5‐dioxacyclopentane as initiator. Poly(p‐dioxanone) was synthesized in bulk and the results have been compared with polymerizations using tin (II) 2‐ethylhexanoate (Sn(Oct)₂) as catalyst. Sn(Oct)₂ has often been reported to be an effective catalyst for the synthesis of poly(p‐dioxanone), but here it is compared with an initiator which is less prone to catalyze transesterification reactions. The results demonstrate that the cyclic tin initiator is a promising alternative for the synthesis of poly(p‐dioxanone) with a high inherent viscosity. Poly(p‐dioxanone) is a polymer with mechanical properties and a degradation rate suitable for tissue engineering applications. Both the cyclic tin initiator and Sn(Oct)₂ gave, under some reaction conditions, inherent viscosities around 1 dL/g. The best polymer synthesized using the cyclic tin initiator had a strain‐at‐break of 515% and a stress‐at‐break of 43 MPa. The inherent viscosity of this polymer was 1.16 dL/g, while Sn(Oct)₂ resulted in a polymer with an inherent viscosity less than 0.4 dL/g under the same reaction conditions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5552–5558, 2007