TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. A1 - Scheliga, F. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Syntheses of Cyclic Poly(l-lactide)s by Means of Zinc-Based Ring-Opening Polymerization with Simultaneous Polycondensation (ROPPOC) Catalysts N2 - Ring-opening polymerizations of l-lactide are studied in bulk at 140 or 160 °C with zinc n-hexanoate, zinc 4-chlorothiophenolate, and zinc pentafluoro thiophenolate (ZnSPF) as catalysts. The reactivity increases in the given order. With all three catalysts a high fraction of cycles is obtained only at polymerization (annealing) times around 7 d. With ZnSPF weight average molecular weights (Mw) up to 178 000, a Tm around 199 °C and a 𝚫Hm around 99 J g−1 were achieved. The samples annealed for 4 or 7 d also display a saw tooth pattern of the mass peak distribution in the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight spectra indicating transesterification reactions across the surface of extended ring crystals. This process optimizes the thermodynamical properties of the crystalline cyclic polylactides and is responsible for the high Tm and 𝚫Hm values. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Ring opening polymerization KW - Polymerization PY - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-578264 SN - 1022-1352 SP - 202300070 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-57826 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 - SnOct2-catalyzed and alcohol-initiated ROPS of L-lactide - Control of the molecular weight and the role of cyclization 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 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543066 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 - Ring-opening polymerizations of L-Lactide catalyzed by zinc caprylate: Syntheses of cyclic and linear poly(L-lactide)s N2 - Alcohol-initiated ring-opening polymerizations (ROPs) of L-Lactide (LA) were conducted in bulk at 130 °C catalyzed by Zn acetate (ZnAc2), lactate (ZnLac2), or caprylate (ZnCap2). 11-undecenol (UND), 1-hydroxymethylnaphtalene (HMN), and 4-nitrobenzylalcohol (4NB) were used as alcohols. Whereas variation of the alcohols had little effect, the usefulness of the catalysts increased in the order: acetate < lactate < caprylate. Hence, further alcohol-initiated polymerizations were performed with ZnCap2 alone and with variation of the lactide/catalyst (LA/Cat) ratio. With increasing LA/Cat ratio higher fractions of cyclic poly(L-lactide) (PLA) were found, so that the measured degree of polymerization (DP) is considerably lower than the theoretical value (i.e., 2 x LA/alcohol). With neat ZnCap2 cyclic PLAs were the largely prevailing reaction products. For these cyclic PLAs weight average molar masses (Mw) up to 134,000 were obtained and an optical purity around 99% was indicated by 13C NMR spectroscopy and DSC measurements even after 48 h at 150 or 160 °C. KW - Cyclization KW - Lactide KW - Ring opening polymerization KW - Transesterification KW - Zinc catalyst KW - MALDI PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-557565 SN - 2642-4150 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-55756 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 - Ring-Expansion Polymerization of 𝝐-Caprolactone, Glycolide, and l-lactide with a Spirocyclic Tin(IV) Catalyst Derived from or 2,2′-Dihydroxy-1,1′-Binaphthyl – New Results and a Revision N2 - In contrast to other cyclic tin bisphenoxides, polymerizations of glycolide and l-lactide with the spirocyclic tin(IV) bis-1,1′-bisnapthoxide yield linear chains having a 1,1′-bisnapthol end group and no cycles. In the case of l-lactide, LA/Cat ratio and temperature are varied and at 160 °C or below, all polylactides mainly consist of even-numbered chains. A total predominance of even-numbered chains is also found for homopolymerization of glycolide, or the copolymerization of glycolide and l-lactide, when conducted <120 °C. Linear chains having a bisnaphthol end group are again the main reaction products of ring-expansion polymerizations (REP) of 𝝐-caprolactone, but above 150 °C cycles are also formed. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polymerization PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-541931 VL - 222 IS - 24 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley VCH GmbH AN - OPUS4-54193 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Scheliga, F. T1 - Ring-expansion copolymerization of L-lactide and glycolide N2 - 1:1 Copolymerizations of glycolide (GL) and L-lactide (LA) is performed in bulk at 100°C and at 160°C with four cyclic tin catalysts. The resulting copolyesters are characterized by SEC measurements, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and by MALDI TOF mass spectrometry. At 160°C and longer reaction time (22 h) nearly complete conversion of both monomers is achieved, and cyclic copolymers with nearly random sequences are formed. At shorter times (0.5-3.0 h, depending on catalyst) the conversion of LA is incomplete, and only cyclics having even numbers of lactyl units are obtained. At 100°C at 22 h again cycles mainly consisting of even numbered lactyl units are formed, but with even and odd numbers of glycolyl units. Copolymerization of lactide at 160°C with small amounts of GL show that formation of high Tm crystallites (Tm > 190°C) is hindered even when only > 2% of GL is added. For polyglycolide containing a smaller amount of lactide complete solubility in hexafluoroisopropanol is only observed around and above 20 mol% of lactide. KW - Ring-expansion polymerization KW - Copolymerization KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - L-lactide KW - Glycolide KW - Crystallization PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520270 SN - 1022-1352 VL - 22 IS - 3 SP - 307 PB - WileyVCH AN - OPUS4-52027 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 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-523597 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 A1 - Scheliga, F. T1 - Synthesis of cyclic polymers and flaws of the Jacobson–Stockmayer theory N2 - Cyclic poly(L-lactide)s were prepared by ring-opening polymerization combined with simultaneous polycondensation (ROPPOC) in bulk at 160 ° with dibutyltin bis(4-cyanophenoxide) as catalyst. It is demonstrated by MALDI TOF mass spectrometry and 1H NMR end group analyses that cycles are formed by endto-end cyclization in addition to “back-biting” transesterification. Formation of high molar mass cyclic poly L-lactide)s by means of several more reactive ROPPOC catalysts presented previously and in new experiments is discussed. These experimental results, together with theoretical arguments, prove that part of the Jacobson–Stockmayer theory is wrong. The critical monomer concentration, above which end-toend cyclization is seemingly impossible, does not exist and reversible like irreversible polycondensations can theoretically proceed up to 100% conversion, so that finally all reaction products will necessarily adopt a cyclic architecture. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Cyclization PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-506419 VL - 11 IS - 14 SP - 2595 EP - 2604 PB - Royal Society for Chemistry AN - OPUS4-50641 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 - Synthesis of cyclic poly(l-lactide) catalyzed by Bismuth salicylates-A combination of two drugs N2 - l‐lactide was polymerized in bulk at 160 or 180°C with mixtures of bismuth subsalicylate (BiSub) and salicylic (SA) as catalysts. The SA/Bi ratio and the monomer/Bi ratio were varied. The highest molecular weights (weight average, Mw) were achieved at a SA/Bi ratio of 1/1 (Mw up to 92 000 g mol−1). l‐Lactide was also polymerized with combinations of BiSub and silylated SA, and Mw values up to 120 000 g mol−1 were achieved at 180°C. MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry and Mark‐Houwink‐Sakurada measurements proved that under optimized reaction conditions the resulting polylactides consist of cycles. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Cyclization KW - Catalyst KW - Salicylate PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-488622 SN - 0887-624X SN - 1099-0518 SP - 29473 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-48862 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Scheliga, F. T1 - Cyclic poly(lactide)s via the ROPPOC method catalyzed by alkyl- or aryltin chlorides N2 - A comparison of tributyltin chloride, dibutyltin dichloride,and butyltin trichloride as catalysts of ring-opening polymerizations(ROPs) of l-lactides at 160°C in bulk reveals increasing reactivity in the above order, but only the least reactive catalysts, Bu3SnCl, yield a uniform reaction product, namely cyclic poly(L-lactide)s with weight average molecular weights (Mw ́s) in the range of 40,000–80,000. A comparison of dimethyltin , dibutyltin , and diphenyltin dichlorides resulted in the following order of reactivity: Me2SnCl2