TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Polymerization of L‐Lactide Catalyzed by Metal Acetylacetonate Complexes N2 - ABSTRACTRing‐opening polymerizations (ROPs) of l‐lactide (LA) were performed at 120°C, 140°C, 150°C, and 180°C in bulk catalyzed by acetylacetonate (acac) complexes of manganese(II), nickel(II), copper(II), zirconium(IV), dibutyltin(IV), and vanadyl(V). These experiments revealed that only the acac complexes of Zr and Bu2Sn were reactive enough to enable quantitative polymerization within a few hours. Further ROPs with Bu2Sn(acac)2 and Zr(acac)4 showed that Bu2Sn(acac)2 had a slightly lower reactivity than the Zr complex. The ROPs catalyzed with Zr(acac)4 yielded number average molecular weights (Mn) up to 70,000 g mol−1. The matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectra indicated an exclusive formation of cycles in the mass range of up to m/z 13,000 for Zr(acac)4 and up to m/z 18,000 for Bu2Sn(acac)2. Unusually high melting temperatures (187°C–192°C) were also achieved along with high crystallinities. Furthermore, four lactide/glycolide copolymerizations catalyzed by Zr(acac)4 were performed, and the topology and the extent of transesterification were characterized by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry and 13C NMR spectroscopy. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polycondensation KW - Acetylacetonate PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639754 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20250788 SN - 2642-4150 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Wiley Periodicals LLC. AN - OPUS4-63975 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. T1 - About Polycondensation, Disproportionation, and Cyclization of Acetylated Poly(L-Lactide) Esters N2 - L-lactide (LA) is polymerized with ethyl L-lactate or trifluoroethanol as initiators (LA/In = 30/1), and the resulting poly(L-lactide) esters are acetylated with acetic anhydride. The acetylated PLA esters are mixed with SnOct2, dibutyltin bis(4-chlorophenoxide), or dibutyltin bis(pentafluorophenoxide) in solution and crystallized at 120 °C. The doped crystals are annealed at 140 °C or at 160 °C for 7, 14, and 28 days, and the chemical modifications that occurred in the solid state are monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. All catalysts promoted polycondensation, while no significant formation of cycles is observed. However, in the presence of SnOct2, disproportionation of chains occurred upon annealing at 120 or 140 °C, and crystallites consisting of extended chains with Mn values ≈3500 – 3600 and low dispersities (Ð < 1.5) are formed. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polycondensation KW - Polylactides KW - Transesterifcation PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630349 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202400175 SN - 1521-3935 VL - 225 IS - 19 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-63034 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Scheliga, Felix T1 - Polycondensation of L-lactic acid: a deeper look into solid state polycondensation N2 - L-Lactic acid (LA) was condensed in the presence of SnCl2 or 4-toluenesulfonic acid (TSA) at 140 °C, and chain growth without cyclization was observed. In addition, poly(L-lactic acid)s (PLAs) with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 25, 50 or 100 were prepared by water-initiated ring-opening polymerization (ROP). These PLAs were annealed in the solid state at 140 °C and 160 °C in the presence of tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2, SnCl2 or TSA). The changes in the molar mass distribution and in the topology were characterized by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). With increasing time, fewer side reactions caused higher molar masses and increasing fractions of cyclic polylactides (cPLA) were obtained. Their “saw tooth” pattern in the MALDI-TOF mass spectra indicated the formation of extended ring crystallites in the solid state. TSA was the most active catalyst and caused fewer side reactions than SnCl2, which was the least reactive catalyst. Acetylation of the CH-OH end groups hindered polycondensation and prevented the formation of cPLAs. Reaction mechanisms will be discussed. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polycondensation KW - Polylaktide KW - Solid state PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-625271 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d4py01191k SN - 1759-9962 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-62527 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Scheliga, Felix A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. T1 - Polycondensation, Cyclization and Disproportionation of Solid Poly(L-lactide) Trifluoroethyl Esters and the Simultaneous Formation of Extended Chain Crystals and Extended Ring Crystals N2 - Two poly(L-lactide)s (PLAs) with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 20 or 100 were prepared by trifluoroethanol-initiated ring-opening polymerization (ROP) catalyzed by tin(II) 2-ethyl hexanoate (SnOct2). These PLAs were annealed at 140 ◦C or at 160 ◦C in the presence of SnOct2, and the changes in topology and molecular weight distribution (MWD) were monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). For the PLA with a DP 20, the main reaction was polycondensation combined with higher dispersities. In the case of the DP 100, PLA polycondensation was combined with disproportionation and the formation of a new MWD maximum around m/z 3500. In addition, extensive cyclization occurred, and the resulting cyclic PLAs crystallized separately from the linear chains in the form of extended ring crystals. These results also suggest that both extended chain and extended ring crystals posses the same crystal thickness as a result of thermodynamically controlled transesterification in the solid state. KW - Polycondensation KW - MALDI KW - Polylactide KW - Cyclization PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-616441 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2024.127800 VL - 315 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-61644 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. T1 - Syntheses of Polyglycolide via Polycondensation: A Reinvestigation N2 - The Na salt of chloroacetic acid is condensed in suspension. Furthermore,glycolic acid is condensed in bulk or in concentrated solution by means of SnCl2 or 4-toluene sulfonic acid (TSA) as catalysts. The temperatures are varied from 160 to 200°C and the time from 1 to 5 days. Low molar mass cyclic poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) is detected by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry in most PGAs. A predominance of certain cycles having an even number of repeat units is observed suggesting a thermodynamically favored formation of extended-ring crystals. Extremely high melting temperatures (up to 237.5°C)and high melting enthalpies are found for polycondensations with TSA in 1,2-dichlorobenzene. KW - MALDI TOF MS KW - Polycondensation KW - Polyglycolide KW - Cyclization PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-596856 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202300397 IS - 2300397 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-59685 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana T1 - The role of transesterifications in reversible polycondensations and a reinvestigation of the Jacobson-Beckmann-Stockmayer experiments N2 - The polycondensations of adipic acid and 1,10-decanediol catalyzed by toluene sulfonic acid (TSA) were reinvestigated using MALDI TOF mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Unexpected reactions of TSA were detected along with incomplete conversion of the monomers. Furthermore, transesterification reactions of end-capped poly(1,10-decanediol adipate) and end-capped poly(ε-caprolactone) catalyzed by TSA were studied. Despite the quite different (ionic) reaction mechanisms, it was found that for polycondensations performed in bulk intermolecular transesterification is more efficient than the intramolecular “back-biting”; this scenario was not considered in the Jacobson–Stockmayer theory of reversible polycondensations. These results also confirm that the Jacobson–Stockmayer explanation of reversible polycondensations solely on the basis of ring chain equilibration is not only devoid of any experimental evidence, but also in contradiction to the results elaborated in this work. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polycondensation PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543402 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1py01679b SN - 1759-9962 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - RSC Publ. CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-54340 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana T1 - Reversible Polycondensations outside the Jacobson-Stockmayer Theory and a New Concept of Reversible Polycondensations N2 - L-Lactide was polymerized with tin(II)acetate, tin(II)2-ethyl hexanoate, diphenyltin dichloride and dibutyltin bis(pentafluorophenoxide) at 130 °C in bulk. When an alcohol was added as initiator, linear chains free of cycles were formed having a degree of polymerization (DP) according to the lactide/initiator (LA/In) ratio. Analogous polymerizations in the absence of an initiator yielded high molar mass cyclic polylactides. Quite similar results were obtained when ε-caprolactone was polymerized with or without initiator. Several transesterification experiments were conducted at 130 °C, either with polylactide or poly(ε-caprolactone) indicating that several transesterification mechanisms are operating under conditions that do not include formation of cycles by back-biting. Furthermore, reversible polycondensations (revPOCs) with low or moderate conversions were found that did not involve any kind of cyclization. Therefore, These results demonstrate the existence of revPOCs, which do neither obey the theory of irreversible polycondensation as defined by Flory nor the hypothesis of revPOCs as defined by Jacobson and Stockmayer. A new concept encompassing any kind of revPOCs is formulated in the form of a “polycondensation triangle”. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polycondensation PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-530831 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1py00704a VL - 12 IS - 35 SP - 5003 EP - 5016 PB - Royal Society for Chemistry AN - OPUS4-53083 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Scheliga, F. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - What does conversion mean in polymer science? N2 - The definition of the term “conversion” is discussed for a variety of polymer syntheses. It is demonstrated that in contrast to organic and inorganic chemistry several different definitions are needed in polymer science. The influence of increasing conversion on structure and topology of homo- and Copolymers is illustrated. Chain-growth polymerizations, such as radical polymerization or living anionic polymerizations of vinyl monomers, condensative chain polymerization, two and three-dimensional step-growth polymerizations, ring–ring or chain–chain equilibration and chemical modification of polymers are considered. KW - Polymers KW - Polymerization KW - Conversion KW - Polycondensation PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-523597 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202100010 VL - 222 IS - 8 SP - 10 PB - Wiley VCH AN - OPUS4-52359 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Polymerization of L-lactide with SnCl2: A Low Toxic and Eco-friendly Catalyst N2 - Polymerizations of L-lactide catalyzed either by neat SnCl2 or by SnCl2 + difunctional cocatalysts were conducted in bulk at 180, 160 and 140 °C with variation of the Lac/Cat ratio and time. With neat SnCl2 poly(L-lactide) having weight average molecular weights (uncorrected Mw’s) up to 190 000 g mol−1 were obtained mainly consisting of linear chains. Addition of salicylic acid or 1,1-bisphenol yielded a higher fraction of cyclic polylactides but lower molecular weights. Furthermore, SnCl2 was compared with Bu2SnCl2 and various other metal chlorides and the best results were obtained with SnCl2. With ethyl L-lactate as initiator SnCl2-catalyzed ROPs were performed at 120 °C and the lac/initiator ratio was varied. All these experiments were conducted under conditions allowing for comparison with ROPs catalyzed with neat Sn(II)-2-ethyhexanoate. Such a comparison was also performed with ε-caprolactone as monomer. KW - Catalyst KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polycondensation PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520517 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-020-02042-w SN - 1566-2543 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-52051 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Cyclic poly(L-lactide)s via simultaneous ROP and polycondensation (ROPPOC) catalyzed by dibutyltin phenoxides N2 - Starting from dibutyltin oxide, four catalysts were synthesized, namely the dibutyltin bisphenoxides of Phenol (SnPh), 4-chlorophenol (SnCP), 4-hydroxybenzonitrile (SnCN) and pentafluorophenol (SnOPF). With the first three catalysts polymerizations of L-lactide at 160 °C in bulk yielded large fraction of linear chains having phenylester end groups at short reaction times. At longer times the fraction of cycles considerably increased at the expense of the linear chains, when SnCN was used as catalyst. With SnOPF only cyclic polylactides were obtained at low Lac/Cat ratios (< 400) with weight average molecular weights (Mw) up to 90 000 Da, whereas for high Lac/Cat ratios mixtures of cyclic and linear chains were found. Polymerizations in solution enabled variation of the molecular weight. Polymerizations of meso-lactide at temperatures down to 60 °C mainly yielded even-numbered linear chains supporting the postulated ROPPOC mechanism. KW - Cyclization KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polycondensation KW - Ring-opening Polymerization KW - Polylactide PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2018.10.005 SN - 0014-3057 IS - 109 SP - 360 EP - 366 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-46263 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -