TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Scheliga, F. T1 - SnOct2-catalyzed and alcohol-initiated ROPS of L-lactide - Control of the molecular weight and the role of cyclization JF - Macromolecular chemistry and physics N2 - Ring-opening polymerizations (ROP) of l-lactide (LA) are conducted in bulk at 130, 160, or 180 °C and are initiated with two different alcohols at 160 °C. The lactide/initiator ratio (LA/In) is varied from 50/1 (20/1 at 180 °C) to 900/1 and the lactide/catalyst ratio (LA/Cat) between 2000/1 and 8000/1. At all temperatures a nearly perfect control of number average molecular weight (Mn) via the LA/In ratio is feasible up to LA/In = 200/1, but at higher ratios the Mn value lags behind the theoretical values and the discrepancy increases with higher LA/Cat ratios. Variation of the LA/Cat ratio influences the formation of cycles but does not significantly influence Mn, when the LA/In ratio is kept constant. The formation of cycles is favored by lower In/Cat ratios and is the main reason for the unsatisfactory control of Mn at high LA/In ratios. The results also suggest that the cycles are mainly or exclusively formed by end-to-end cyclization and not, as believed previously, by back-biting. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Cyclization KW - Ring-opening polymerization PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543066 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202100464 SN - 1521-3935 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-54306 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Scheliga, F. T1 - Cyclic Polylactides via Simultaneous Ring-Opening Polymerization and Polycondensation Catalyzed by Dibutyltin Mercaptides JF - Journal of Polymer Science A - Polymer Chemistry N2 - L-Lactide is polymerized in bulk at 160 8C either with dibutyltin bis(benzylmercaptide) (SnSBzl), dibutyltin bis(benzothiazole 2-mercaptide) (SnMBT), or with dibutyltin bis(pentafluorothiophenolate) (SnSPF) as catalysts. SnSBzl yields linear polylactides having benzylthio-ester end groups in addition to cyclic polylactides, whereas SnMBT and SnSPF mainly or exclusively yield cyclic polylactides. This finding, together with model reactions, indicates that the SnS catalysts promote a combined ring-opening polymerization and polycondensation process including end-to-end cyclization. SnMBT caused slight racemization (3%–5%), when used at 160 8C. With SnSPF optically pure cyclic poly(L-lactide)s with high-molecular weights can be prepared at 160 8C. KW - Cyclopolymerization KW - Catalysts KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polyester KW - Ring-opening polymerization PY - 2017 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pola.28762 VL - 55 IS - 22 SP - 3767 EP - 3775 PB - Wiley Periodicals AN - OPUS4-42600 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Scheliga, F. T1 - About formation of cycles in Sn(II) octanoate-catalyzed polymerizations of lactides JF - Journal of Polymer Science A: Polymer Chemistry N2 - At first, formation of cycles in commercial poly(Llactide)s is discussed and compared with benzyl alcoholinitiated polymerizations performed in this work. This comparison was extended to polymerizations initiated with 4-cyanophenol and pentafluorothiophenol which yielded cyclic polylactides via end-biting. The initiator/catalyst ratio and the acidity of the initiator were found to be decisive for the extent of cyclization. Further polymerizations of L-lactide were performed with various diphenols as initiators/co-catalysts. With most diphenols, cyclic polylactides were the main reaction products. Yet, only catechols yielded even-numbered cycles as main reaction products, a result which proves that their combination with SnOct2 catalyzed a ring-expansion polymerization (REP). The influence of temperature, time, co-catalyst, and catalyst concentrations was studied. Four different transesterification reactions yielding cycles were identified. For the cyclic poly(L-lactide)s weight average molecular weights (Mw’s) up to 120,000 were obtained, but 1H NMR end group analyses indicated that the extent of cyclization was slightly below 100%. The influence of various parameters like structure of Initiator and catalyst and temperature on the formation of cyclic poly(Llactide)s has been investigated. Depending on the chosen conditions, the course of the polymerization can be varied from a process yielding exclusively linear polylactides to mainly cyclic polylactides. Three different reaction pathways for cyclization reactions have been identified. KW - Cyclization KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polyester KW - Ring-opening polymerization KW - Transesterification PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pola.29077 SN - 0887-624X VL - 56 IS - 17 SP - 1915 EP - 1925 PB - Wiley Periodicals Inc. AN - OPUS4-46052 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H.R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Scheliga, F. T1 - Poly(Epsilon-caprolactone) by combined ring-opening polymerization and azeotropic polycondensation - the role of cyclization and equilibration JF - Journal of polymer science A, polymer chemistry N2 - Using three different catalysts, water-initiated polymerizations of ε-caprolactone were conducted in bulk with variation of the monomer/water ratio. The resulting CH2OH and CO2H- terminated polylactones were subjected in situ to azeotropic polycondensations. With Bi-triflate and temperatures, the polycondensations were not much successful and involved side reactions. With ZnCl2, and especially SnCl2, considerably higher molar masses were achieved. The substitution of toluene for chlorobenzene for refluxing gave better results. The polycondensations broadened the molar mass distribution of the ROP-based prepolymers, and polydispersities between 1.4–1.8 were obtained. The MALDI–TOF mass spectra revealed that the polycondensations significantly enhanced the fraction of rings due to efficient 'end-biting' reactions. By comparison with copolymerization experiments and Sn methoxide-initiated polymerizations, it was demonstrated that equilibration reactions, such as the formation of rings by 'back-biting,' did not occur. KW - Ring-opening polymerization KW - Epsilon-caprolactone (e-CL) KW - Cyclization KW - MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry KW - Polycondensation KW - Polyesters PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pola.26222 SN - 0360-6376 SN - 0887-624X VL - 50 IS - 20 SP - 4206 EP - 4214 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken, NJ AN - OPUS4-26500 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Scheliga, F. A1 - Kricheldorf, H.R. T1 - Low-temperature polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone catalyzed by cerium triflates JF - Macromolecular chemistry and physics N2 - Using 22 metal triflates as catalysts, ε-caprolactone is polymerized at 22 °C in bulk. Only five relatively acidic triflates prove active. Three triflates, including the neutral Sm3+, are active using water as initiator. A very low content of cyclics is found in all the experiments. With Ce3+ and Ce4+, polymerizations are performed in CH2Cl2 and in bulk at 2 °C and 22 °C. Low dispersities (down to 1.1) are obtained. At 22 °C, Ce4+ and, even better, Ce3+ also catalyze syntheses of CO2H- and CH2OH-terminated polycaprolactones, whereby higher dispersities and larger fractions of cyclics are obtained. Further polymerizations and polycondensations are catalyzed with protic acids. The results can be explained by a proton-catalyzed activated monomer mechanism. KW - Epsilon-caprolactone KW - Cyclization KW - Metal triflates KW - Polycondensation KW - Ring-opening polymerization PY - 2013 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201300279 SN - 1022-1352 SN - 1521-3935 VL - 214 IS - 18 SP - 2043 EP - 2053 PB - Wiley-VCH Verl. CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-29219 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -