TY - JOUR A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Saatz, Jessica A1 - Mangarova, D. B. A1 - Zacharias, M. A1 - Kempf, W. E. A1 - Schwaar, T. A1 - Ponader, Marco A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Möckel, J. A1 - Botnar, R. M. A1 - Taupitz, M. A1 - Mägdefessel, L. A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - ADAMTS4-specific MR-probe to assess aortic aneurysms in vivo using synthetic peptide libraries N2 - The incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has substantially increased during the last 20 years and their rupture remains the third most common cause of sudden death in the cardiovascular field after myocardial infarction and stroke. The only established clinical parameter to assess AAAs is based on the aneurysm size. Novel biomarkers are needed to improve the assessment of the risk of rupture. ADAMTS4 (A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with ThromboSpondin motifs 4) is a strongly upregulated proteoglycan cleaving enzyme in the unstable course of AAAs. In the screening of a one-bead-one-compound library against ADAMTS4, a low-molecular-weight cyclic peptide is discovered with favorable properties for in vivo molecular magnetic resonance imaging applications. After identification and characterization, it’s potential is evaluated in an AAA mouse model. The ADAMTS4-specific probe enables the in vivo imaging-based prediction of aneurysm expansion and rupture. KW - Peptide KW - Peptide library KW - OBOC library KW - Combinatorial chemistry KW - Peptide aptamers KW - Binding molecule KW - Affinity KW - Synthetic peptides KW - Contrast agent KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - One-bead-one-compound library KW - On-chip screening KW - Lab-on-a-chip KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - SPR KW - Surface plasmon resonance KW - Alanine scan KW - Fluorescence label KW - MST KW - Docking KW - Chelate PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-560930 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30464-8 N1 - Geburtsname von Ponader, Marco: Wilke, M. - Birth name of Ponader, Marco: Wilke, M. VL - 13 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - Springer Nature Limited CY - Heidelberg AN - OPUS4-56093 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Döring, Sarah A1 - Tscheuschner, Georg A1 - Flemig, Sabine A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Konthur, Zoltán T1 - Cost-Effective Method for Full-Length Sequencing of Monoclonal Antibodies from Hybridoma Cells N2 - Background: Monoclonal antibodies play an important role in therapeutic and analytical applications. For recombinant expression, the coding sequences of the variable regions of the heavy and light chains are required. In addition, cloning antibody sequences, including constant regions, reduces the impact of hybridoma cell loss and ensures preservation of the naturally occurring full antibody sequence. Method: We combined amplification of IgG antibody variable regions from hybridoma mRNA with an advanced method for fulllength cloning of monoclonal antibodies in a simple two-step workflow. Following Sanger sequencing and evaluation of consensus sequences, the best matching variable, diversity, and joining (V-(D-)J) gene segments were identified according to identity scores from IgBLAST reference sequences. Simultaneously, the mouse IgG subclass was determined at the DNA level based on isotype-specific sequence patterns in the CH1 domain. Knowing the DNA sequence of V-(D-)J recombination responsible for the complementary determining region 3 (CDR 3), variable region-specific primers were designed and used to amplify the corresponding antibody constant regions. Results: To verify the approach, we applied it to the hybridoma clone BAM-CCMV-29-81 and obtained identical full-length antibody sequences as with RNA Illumina sequencing. Further validation at the protein level using an established MALDI-TOF MS-fingerprinting protocol showed that five out of six genetically encoded CDR domains of the monoclonal antibody BAM-CCMV-29-81 could be efficiently correlated. Conclusion: This simple, streamlined method enables the cost-effective determination of the full-length sequence of monoclonal antibodies from hybridoma cell lines, with the added benefit of obtaining the DNA sequence of the antibody ready for recombinant expression. KW - Full-length antibody sequencing KW - Hybridoma cell loss KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Immunoglobulin isotyping KW - RNA Illumina sequencing PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639599 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/antib14030072 SN - 2073-4468 VL - 14 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-63959 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - The Ring-Opening Polymerisation-Polycondensation (ROPPOC) Approach to cyclic Polymers N2 - A new concept called “Ring-Opening Polymerization (ROP) combined with simultaneous POlyCondensation” (ROPPOC) is presented and discussed. This synthetic strategy is based on the intermediate formation of chains having two end groups that can react with each other. The ROPPOC syntheses are subdivided into three groups according to the nature of the chain ends: two ionic end groups, one ionic and one covalent chain end and a combination of two reactive covalent end groups may be involved, depending on the catalyst. The usefulness for the preparation of cyclic polymers is discussed with a review of numerous previously published examples. These examples concern to following classes of cyclic polymers: polypeptides, polyamides, polyesters, including polycarbonates, and cyclic polysiloxanes. It is demonstrated, that the results of certain ROPPOC syntheses are in contradiction to the Jacobson-Stockmayer theory. Finally, the usefulness of ROPPOCs for the detection of polydisperse catenanes is discussed. KW - Ring-opening Polymerisation KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - ROPPOC KW - Cyclic PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-508509 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202000152 SP - 2000152 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-50850 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 - High molecular weight poly(l-lactide) via ring-opening polymerization with bismuth subsalicylate-The role of cocatalysts N2 - The catalytic potential of bismuth subsalicylate (BiSub), a commercial drug, for ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of L-lactide was explored by variation of co-catalyst and polymerization time. Various monofunctional phenols or carboxylic acids, aromatic ortho-hydroxy acids and diphenols were examined as potential co-catalysts. 2,2´-Dihydroxybiphenyl proved to be the most successful co-catalyst yielding weight average molecular weights (uncorrected Mw values up to 185 000) after optimization of reaction time and temperature. Prolonged heating (>1-2h) depending on catalyst concentration) caused thermal degradation. In polymerization experiments with various commercial Bi(III) salts a better alternative to BiSub was not found. By means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry a couple of unusual and unexpected transesterification reactions were discovered. Finally, the effectiveness of several antioxidants and potential catalyst poisons was explored, and triphenylphosphine was found to be an effective catalyst poison. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Ring-opening polymerization KW - Bismuth PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-519513 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/app.50394 SN - 0021-8995 VL - 138 IS - 19 SP - 50394 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-51951 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - ROP of L-lactide and ε-caprolactone catalyzed by tin(ii) and tin(iv) acetates–switching from COOH terminated linear chains to cycles N2 - The catalytic potential of tin(II)acetate, tin(IV)acetate, dibutyltin-bis-acetate and dioctyl tin-bis-acetate was compared based on polymerizations of L-lactide conducted in bulk at 160 or 130C. With SnAc2 low-Lac/Cat ratios (15/1–50/1) were studied and linear chains having one acetate and one carboxyl end group almost free of cyclics were obtained. Higher monomer/catalyst ratios and lower temperatures favored formation of cycles that reached weight average molecular weights (Mw's) between 100,000 and 2,500,000. SnAc4 yielded mixtures of cycles and linear species under all reaction conditions. Dibutyltin- and dioctyl tin bis-acetate yielded cyclic polylactides under most reaction conditions with Mw's in the range of 20,000–80,000. Ring-opening polymerizations performed with ε-caprolactone showed similar trends, but the formation of COOH-terminated linear chains was significantly more favored compared to analogous experiments with lactide. The reactivity of the acetate catalysts decreased in the following order: SnAc2> SnAc4>Bu2SnAc2 Oct2SnAc2. KW - Catalyst KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Ring-opening polymerization KW - Tin acetates KW - Polylactide PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520831 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20200866 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Wiley Online Library AN - OPUS4-52083 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520270 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202000307 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 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Reply to the comment on “synthesis of cyclic polymers and flaws of the Jacobson-Stockmayer theory” by R. Szymanski N2 - In a recent publication the authors have presented theoretical and experimental results indicating that the Jacobson–Stockmayer (JS) theory does not provide a correct description of reversible polycondensations for all polymers and for high conversions (e.g. polycondensation in bulk). In this context reversibility means that all condensation step whether resulting in chain growth or in cyclization are reversible and thus, part of an equilibrium. The first two sections of that paper were focused on the demonstration that small, and above all, large cycles can be formed by end-to-end (ete) cyclization in reversible like in irreversible polycondensations. A significant contribution of ete-cyclization to the course of reversible polycondensations was denied by J + S apparently as a contribution to Florýs dogma, that the end groups of long polymer chains will never meet. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Jacobsen-Stockmayer theory PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-513985 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D0PY01118E VL - 11 IS - 38 SP - 6226 EP - 6228 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-51398 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Low Molar Mass Cyclic Poly(L-lactide)s: Separate Transesterification Reactions of Cycles and Linear Chains in the Solid State N2 - L-Lactide (LA) was polymerized with neat tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2) in toluene at 115 °C at low concentration with variation of the LA/Cat ratio. Cyclic polylactides (cPLAs) with number average molecular weights (Mn) between 7 000 and 17 000 were obtained. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry also revealed the formation of a few percent of linear chains. Crystalline cPLAs with Mn around 9 000 and 14 000 were annealed at 140 °C in the presence of ScOct2 or dibutyl-2-stanna-1,3-dithiolane (DSTL). Simultaneously, crystallites of extended linear chains and crystallites of extended cycles were formed regardless of the catalyst, indicating that transesterification reaction proceeded different for linear chains and for cycles, governed by thermodynamic control. The formation of extended chain crystallites with low dispersity indicates the existence of symproportionation of short and long chains. A complementary experiment was carried out with a PLA ethyl ester composed mainly of linear chains with a small fraction of cycles KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Annealing PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-606228 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00567H SN - 1744-6848 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-60622 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-578264 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202300070 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 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. A1 - Kricheldorf, H. T1 - Transformation of poly(L-lactide) crystals composed of linear chains into crystals composed of cycles N2 - A poly(L-lactide) with a trifluoroethyl ester end group and an average degree of polymerization (DP) of 50 was synthesized by ROP of L-lactide initiated with trifluoroethanol. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in combination with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements revealed an average crystal thickness of 13 nm, corresponding to 45 repeat units. This suggests that most crystallites were formed by extended PLA chains, and both flat surfaces were covered by CF3 groups. The crystalline PLAs were annealed at 140 or 160 °C in the presence of two catalysts: tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate, (SnOct2) or dibutyltin bis(pentafluorophenoxide) (BuSnPhF). The chemical reactions, such as polycondensation and cyclization, proceeded in the solid state and were monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-offlight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements. Under optimal conditions a large fraction of linear chains was transformed into crystallites composed of extended cycles. Additionally, MALDI TOF MS analysis of GPC fractions from samples annealed for 28 or 42 days detected chain elongation of the linear species up to a factor of 20. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Crystalinity KW - Transesterification PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-597250 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3PY01370G SN - 1759-9954 VL - 15 IS - 12 SP - 1173 EP - 1181 PB - Royal Society for Chemistry AN - OPUS4-59725 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. T1 - About the Influence of (Non-)Solvents on the Ring Expansion Polymerization of l-Lactide and the Formation of Extended Ring Crystals N2 - Ring-expansion polymerizations (REPs) catalyzed by two cyclic tin catalysts(2-stanna-1.3-dioxa-4,5,6,7-dibenzazepine [SnBiph] and 2,2-dibutyl-2-stanna-1,3-dithiolane [DSTL) are performed at 140 °C in bulk. Small amounts (4 vol%) of chlorobenzene or other solvents are added to facilitate transesterification reactions (ring–ring equilibration) in the solid poly(l-lactide)s. In the mass range up to m/z 13 000 crystalline PLAs displaying a so-called saw-tooth pattern in the MALDI-TOF mass spectra are obtained indicating the formation of extended-ring crystals. The characteristics of extended-ring crystallites and folded-ring crystallites are discussed. Furthermore, extremely high melting temperatures (Tm’s up to 201.2 °C) and melting enthalpies (𝚫Hm’s up to 106 J g−1)) are found confirming that 𝚫Hmmax, the 𝚫Hm of a perfect crystal, is around or above 115 J g−1 in contrast to literature data. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Ring-expansion polymerization KW - Crystals PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-565038 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202200385 SN - 1022-1352 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-56503 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. T1 - About the Influence of (Non-)Solvents on the Ring Expansion Polymerization of l-Lactide and the Formation of Extended Ring Crystals N2 - Ring-expansion polymerizations (REPs) catalyzed by two cyclic tin catalysts (2-stanna-1.3-dioxa-4,5,6,7-dibenzazepine [SnBiph] and 2,2-dibutyl-2-stanna-1,3-dithiolane [DSTL]) are performed at 140 °C in bulk. Small amounts (4 vol%) of chlorobenzene or other solvents are added to facilitate transesterification reactions (ring–ring equilibration) in the solid poly(l-lactide)s. In the mass range up to m/z 13 000 crystalline PLAs displaying a so-called saw-tooth pattern in the MALDI-TOF mass spectra are obtained indicating the formation of extended-ring crystals. The characteristics of extended-ring crystallites and folded-ring crystallites are discussed. Furthermore, extremely high melting temperatures (Tm’s up to 201.2 °C) and melting enthalpies (𝚫Hm’s up to 106 J g−1)) are found confirming that 𝚫Hm max, the 𝚫Hm of a perfect crystal, is around or above 115 J g−1 in contrast to literature data. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Ring-expansion polymerization KW - Biobased PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-573063 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202200385 VL - 224 IS - 5 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-57306 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meyer, Andreas A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. T1 - Star-shaped poly(l-lactide)s based on pentaerythritol: About crystallization and polycondensation plus disproportionation and ring formation in the solid state N2 - Star-shaped poly( L-lactide)s (s-PLAs), were prepared by ring-opening polymerization of with pentaerythritol and catalyzed by tin(II) 2-ethylhyexanoate (SnOct out in bulk at either 120 ◦ C or 160 ◦ L-lactide (LA) initiated 2 ). Two small series of ROPs were carried C with variation of the LA/initiator ratio. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra revealed traces of cycles in 120 ◦ C samples only at low initiator/catalyst ratios. In contrast, higher fractions of cycles were detected in samples prepared at 160 C, suggesting a "back-biting" origin. The influence of arm length and thermal history on crystallinity was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS). It was shown that annealing increased the melting temperature (T ◦ ◦ m ) and crystallinity. However, annealing at 140 ◦ C for 14 d also caused significant solid-state transesterification. In addition, crystallites composed of s-PLAs with extended arms and, simultaneously, crystallites composed exclusively of extended rings were formed, identified by their typical "sawtooth" pattern in the MALDI mass spectra. Small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) indicated that the crystal thickness was lower than that of linear PLAs annealed under identical conditions, but increased upon annealing at 140 C. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polylactide KW - Crystallisation KW - AStar-shaped polymers PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-636832 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2025.128709 SN - 0032-3861 VL - 334 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-63683 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - H2O-Initiated Polymerization of L-Lactide N2 - Water-initiated ring-opening polymerizations (ROPs) of L-lactide (LA) were performed in bulk at 140 °C, whereupon 11 different salts or complexes of low-toxic metal ions such as tin (II), Zn(II), Zr(IV), and Bi(III) were used as catalysts. Only four catalysts gave satisfactory results despite a long reaction time (24 h). The influence of the temperature was studied with tin (II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2), dibutyltin oxide (Bu2SnO), and zinc bis-acetylacetonate (Zn(acac)2) and zirconium acetylacetonate (Zr(acac)4). With SnOct2, Bu2SnO and Zr(acac)4 the time was varied at 140 °C to compare their reactivity. Furthermore, two series of ROPs were carried out with variation of the LA/H2O ratio to verify the control of the molecular weight by the monomer-initiator ratio. Bi- or tri-modal molecular weight distributions (MWD) were found for most of the ROPs and bimodal melting endotherms in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) heating traces. The thickness and dependence of the 3D packing of the crystallites were monitored by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polylactide KW - Ring-opening polymerization KW - Crystallization PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-628761 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-025-03565-w SN - 1572-8919 VL - 33 IS - 6 SP - 2843 EP - 2857 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-62876 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 - Meyer, A. A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. T1 - Polycondensations and Cyclization of Poly(L-lactide) Ethyl Esters in the Solid State N2 - The usefulness of seven different Tin catalysts, Bismuth subsalicylate and Titan tetra(ethoxide) for the polycondensation of ethyl L-lactate (ELA) was examined at 150 °C/6 d. Dibutyltin bis(phenoxides) proved to be particularly effective. Despite the low reactivity of ELA, weight average molecular masses (Mw) up to 12 500 were found along with partial crystallization. Furthermore, polylactides (PLAs) of similar molecular masses were prepared via ELA-initiated ROPs of L-lactide by means of the four most effective polycondensation catalysts. The crystalline linear PLAs were annealed at 140 or 160 °C in the presence of these catalysts. The consequences of the transesterification reactions in the solid PLAs were studied by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results indicate that polycondensation and formation of cycles proceed in the solid state via formation of loops on the surface of the crystallites. In summary, five different transesterification reactions are required to explain all results. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Crystalinity PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-592934 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d3py01232h SN - 1759-9962 VL - 15 IS - 2 SP - 71 EP - 82 PB - RSC Publ. CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-59293 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. A1 - Kricheldorf, H. T1 - Cyclic polyglycolides via ring-expansion polymerization with cyclic tin catalysts N2 - Glycolide was polymerized in bulk with two cyclic catalysts − 2,2-dibutyl-2-stanna-1,3-dithiolane (DSTL) and 2-stanna-1,3-dioxa-4,5,6,7-dibenzepane (SnBiph). The monomer/initiator ratio, temperature (140 – 180 °C) and time (1–––4 days) were varied. The MALDI TOF mass spectra exclusively displayed peaks of cyclic polyglycolide (PGA) and revealed an unusual “saw-tooth pattern” in the mass range below m/z 2 500 suggesting formation of extended ring crystallites. The DSC measurements indicated increasing crystallinity with higher temperature and longer time, and after annealing for 4 d at 160 °C a hitherto unknown and unexpected glass transition was found in the temperature range of 170–185 °C. Linear PGAs prepared by means of metal alkoxides under identical conditions did not show the afore-mentioned features of the cyclic PGAs, neither in the mass spectra nor in the DSC measurements. All PGAs were also characterized by SAXS measurements, which revealed relatively small L-values suggesting formation of thin crystallites in all cases with little influence of the reaction conditions. KW - Polyglycolide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Ring-expansion polymerization KW - Crystals PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-595541 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2024.112811 SN - 0014-3057 VL - 207 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-59554 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, H. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Scheliga, F. T1 - Polycondensation of poly(L-lactide) alkyl esters combined with disproportionation and symproportionation of the chain lengths N2 - Ring-opening polymerizations (ROPs) of l-lactide (LA) were performed with ethyl l-lactate or 11-bromoundecanol as initiators (In) and tin(II) ethyl hexanoate (SnOct2) as catalyst (Cat) using four different LA/In ratios (20/1, 40/1, 60/1, and 100/1). One series of ROPs was conducted in bulk at 120 °C, yielding PLAs with low dispersities (Ð ~ 1.2–1.4), and a second series was conducted in bulk at 160 °C, yielding higher dispersities (Ð ~ 1.3–1.9). Samples from both series were annealed for 1 or 14 days at 140 °C in the presence of SnOct2. Both polycondensation and disproportionation reactions occurred, so that all four samples tended to form the same type of molar mass distribution below 10,000 Da, regardless of their initially different number average molar masses (Mn). Both initiators gave nearly identical results. The thermodynamic control of all reversible transesterification processes favored the formation of crystallites composed of chains with a Mn around 3500–3700, corresponding to a crystal thickness of 10–13 nm. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Crystalinity PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-600081 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20240118 SN - 2642-4150 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-60008 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Syntheses of cyclic polylactides and the problem of catenane formation N2 - Cyclic poly(L-lactide)s (PLAs) were prepared in bulk either by ring-expansion polymerization (REP) or by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) with simultaneous polycondensation (ROPPOC). In contrast to REP the latter method involves formation of linear chains and thus, may involve formation of polydisperse catenanes that affect crystallization. The reprecipitated PLAs were annealed at 120 °C and compared with regard to melting temperature (Tm) and melting enthalpy (ΔHm). For similar molar masses the PLAs prepared by REP and ROPPOC had almost identical Tm's and crystallinities. Furthermore, the influence of REP and ROPPOC catalysts on the morphology of the virgin reaction products was compared. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Catenane KW - Polylactide PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-625061 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ra08683j VL - 15 IS - 5 SP - 3686 EP - 3692 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-62506 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - 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 - Diehn, S. A1 - Zimmermann, B. A1 - Tafintseva, V. A1 - Seifert, S. A1 - Bagcioglu, M. A1 - Ohlson, M. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Fjellheim, S. A1 - Kohler, A. A1 - Kneipp, Janina T1 - Combining Chemical Information From Grass Pollen in Multimodal Characterization N2 - The analysis of pollen chemical composition is important to many fields, including agriculture, plant physiology, ecology, allergology, and climate studies. Here, the potential of a combination of different spectroscopic and spectrometric methods regarding the characterization of small biochemical differences between pollen samples was evaluated using multivariate statistical approaches. Pollen samples, collected from three populations of the grass Poa alpina, were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The variation in the sample set can be described in a hierarchical framework comprising three populations of the same grass species and four different growth conditions of the parent plants for each of the populations. Therefore, the data set can work here as a model system to evaluate the classification and characterization ability of the different spectroscopic and spectrometric methods. ANOVA Simultaneous Component Analysis (ASCA) was applied to achieve a separation of different sources of variance in the complex sample set. Since the chosen methods and sample preparations probe different parts and/or molecular constituents of the pollen grains, complementary information about the chemical composition of the pollen can be obtained. By using consensus principal component analysis (CPCA), data from the different methods are linked together. This enables an investigation of the underlying global information, since complementary chemical data are combined. The molecular information from four spectroscopies was combined with phenotypical information gathered from the parent plants, thereby helping to potentially link pollen chemistry to other biotic and abiotic parameters. KW - Pollen KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - FTIR KW - Raman KW - Multivariate analyses PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-504822 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.01788 VL - 10 SP - 1788 AN - OPUS4-50482 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. T1 - Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization behavior of neat linear and cyclic poly(L-lactide)s and their blends N2 - Numerous new tin catalysts that enable the synthesis of cyclic polylactides with broad variation in their molecular mass were recently developed. The abundance of cyclics in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra is, however, frequently reported to greatly exceed that of linears. Thus, the MALDI ionization behavior of various end-capped linear poly(L-lactide)s and one cyclic poly(L-lactide) was investigated and compared. Neat compounds and various blends of cyclic and linear species were prepared and studied under identical conditions with regard to sample preparation and instrumental condition, except for the laser power. For this purpose, two different MALDI-TOF mass spectrometers were applied. Our results reveal that cyclics indeed show a slightly better ionization in MALDI, although their ionization as a neat compound seems to be less effective than that of linear polylactides. The ionization of most linear polylactides investigated does not depend on the end group structure. However, linear polylactides containing 12-bromododecyl end groups reveal an unexpected saturation effect that is not caused by fragmentation of the polymer or the end group, or by electronic saturation of the detector digitizer. Furthermore, polylactides with a 2-bromoethyl end group did not show such a saturation effect. An overestimation of cyclic species in MALDI-TOF mass spectra of poly(L-lactide)s must be considered, but the commonly assumed peak suppression of linear polymers in mixtures of both structures can be excluded. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Blends KW - Ionization PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-504216 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8673 VL - 34 SP - e8673 PB - Wiley Online Libary AN - OPUS4-50421 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. T1 - High Tm poly(L-lactide)s via REP or ROPPOC of L-lactide N2 - A new kind of high melting (HTm) pol(L-lactide) was discovered when cyclic poly(L-lactide)s were prepared by ring-expansion polymerization with cyclic tin catalysts at 130–160 °C in bulk. By DSC measurements with 10 K min−1 melting temperatures (Tm) in the range of 190–196 °C were found. The WAXS and SAXS measurements evidenced that not a new crystal lattice but a well-ordered morphology and a higher perfection of the crystallites are responsible for the high Tm values and high crystallinities. Under identical reaction conditions SnOct2-catalyzed and alcohol-initiated ROPs do not yield these crystallites. Furthermore, it was found that the standard crystallites are kinetically favored upon rapid crystallization, whereas the high melting form of poly(L-lactide) is thermodynamically more stable. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - ROPPOC PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-507477 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9py01908a VL - 11 IS - 12 SP - 2182 EP - 2193 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-50747 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meyer, A. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Kricheldorf, H. T1 - Stereocomplexation of cyclic polylactides with each other and with linear poly(L-lactide)s N2 - Two kinds of cyclic poly(D- and L-lactide)s were synthesized, namely CI labeled samples mainly consisting of even-numbered cycles with low dispersity and CII, CIII or CIV-labeled ones consisting of equal amounts of even and odd-numbered cycles with high dispersity and igher molecular weights (Mw up to 300 000). Furthermore, linear poly L-lactide)s were prepared by initiation with ethanol and in both series the molecular weight was varied. The formation of stereocomplexes from cyclic poly(D-lactide)s and all kinds of poly L-lactide)s was performed in dichloromethane/toluene mixtures. The stereocomplexes crystallized from the reaction mixture were characterized in the virgin state and after annealing at 205 °C. Stereocomplexes free of stereohomopolymers with crystallinities up to 80% were obtained from all experiments in yields ranging from 60 to 80%. Despite the high annealing temperature (maintained for 1 h), little transesterification was observed and the crystallinity slightly increased. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Stereocomplex KW - Cyclic PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-496693 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9py01236b VL - 10 SP - 6191 EP - 6199 PB - Royal Society for Chemistry AN - OPUS4-49669 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-506419 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0py00226g 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-488622 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pola.29473 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 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. T1 - Ring–Ring Equilibration in Solid, Even-Numbered Cyclic Poly(l-lactide)s and their Stereocomplexes N2 - Even-numbered cyclic poly(d-lactide) and poly(l-lactide) are prepared by ringexpansion polymerization. The cyclic pol(l-lactide) is annealed either at 120 or at 160 °C for several days. The progress of transesterification in the solid state is monitored by the formation of odd-numbered cycles via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. The changes of the crystallinity are monitored by differential scanning calorimetry, wideand small-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS and SAXS) measurements. Despite total even-odd equilibration at 160 °C, the crystallinity of poly(l-lactide) is not reduced. Furthermore, the crystallinity of the stereocomplexes of both cyclic polylactides do not decrease or vanish, as expected, when a blocky or random stereosequence is formed by transesterification. This conclusion is confirmed by 13C NMR spectroscopy. These measurements demonstrate that transesterification is a ring–ring equilibration involving the loops on the surfaces of the lamellar crystallites thereby improving crystallinity and 3D packing of crystallites without significant broadening of the molecular weight distribution. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Cyclization PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-506458 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202000012 VL - 221 IS - 9 SP - 2000012 PB - Wiley-VCH Verlag AN - OPUS4-50645 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Doriti, A. A1 - Brosnan, S. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Schlaad, H. T1 - Synthesis of polysarcosine from air and moisture stable N-phenoxycarbonyl-N-methylglycine assisted by tertiary amine base N2 - Polysarcosine (M-n = 3650-20 000 g mol(-1), D similar to 1.1) was synthesized from the air and moisture stable N-phenoxycarbonyl-N-methylglycine. Polymerization was achieved by in situ transformation of the urethane precursor into the corresponding N-methylglycine-N-carboxyanhydride, when in the presence of a non-nucleophilic tertiary amine base and a primary amine initiator. KW - Polysarcosine KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Synthesis PY - 2016 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-359309 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c6py00221h SN - 1759-9954 SN - 1759-9962 VL - 7 IS - 18 SP - 3067 EP - 3070 AN - OPUS4-35930 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diehn, Sabrina A1 - Zimmermann, B. A1 - Bagcioglu, M. A1 - Seifert, Stephan A1 - Kohler, A. A1 - Ohlson, M. A1 - Fjellheim, S. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Kneipp, Janina T1 - Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) shows adaption of grass pollen composition N2 - MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has become a widely used tool for the classification of biological samples. The complex chemical composition of pollen grains leads to highly specific, fingerprint-like mass spectra, with respect to the pollen species. Beyond the species-specific composition, the variances in pollen chemistry can be hierarchically structured, including the level of different populations, of environmental conditions or different genotypes. We demonstrate here the sensitivity of MALDI-TOF MS regarding the adaption of the chemical composition of three Poaceae (grass) pollen for different populations of parent plants by analyzing the mass spectra with partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Thereby, variances in species, population and specific growth conditions of the plants were observed simultaneously. In particular, the chemical pattern revealed by the MALDI spectra enabled discrimination of the different populations of one species. Specifically, the role of environmental changes and their effect on the pollen chemistry of three different grass species is discussed. Analysis of the Group formation within the respective populations showed a varying influence of plant genotype on the classification, depending on the species, and permits conclusions regarding the respective rigidity or plasticity towards environmental changes. KW - Pollen KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Classification KW - Partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) KW - Principal component analysis (PCA) PY - 2018 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-465294 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-34800-1 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - 16591, 1 EP - 11 PB - Nature AN - OPUS4-46529 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lauer, Franziska A1 - Seifert, Stephan A1 - Kneipp, Janina A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Simplifying the Preparation of Pollen Grains for MALDI-TOF MS Classification N2 - Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a well-implemented analytical technique for the investigation of complex biological samples. In MS, the sample preparation strategy is decisive for the success of the measurements. Here, sample preparation processes and target materials for the investigation of different pollen grains are compared. A reduced and optimized sample preparation process prior to MALDI-TOF measurement is presented using conductive carbon tape as target. The application of conductive tape yields in enhanced absolute signal intensities and mass spectral pattern information, which leads to a clear separation in subsequent pattern analysis. The results will be used to improve the taxonomic differentiation and identification, and might be useful for the development of a simple routine method to identify pollen based on mass spectrometry. KW - PCA KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Conductive carbon tape KW - Pollen KW - Sample pretreatment PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-392885 UR - http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/18/3/543/ DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18030543 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 18 IS - 3 SP - 543 EP - 554 PB - MDPI AG CY - Basel, Switzerland AN - OPUS4-39288 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 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. T1 - Poly(L-lactide): Optimization of Melting Temperature and Melting Enthalpy N2 - Twice recrystallized L-lactide was polymerized with a dozen of different tin or bismuth catalysts in bulk at 160°C for 24 h and was annealed at 150°C afterwards. In two cases Tm values above 197.0°C were obtained. The parameters causing a scattering of the DSC data were studied and discussed. The samples prepared with SnCl2, 2,2-dibutyl-2-stanna-1,3-ditholane (DSTL) or cyclic tin(II) bisphenyldioxide (SnBiph) were subject to annealing programs with variation of time and temperatures, revealing that the Tm´s did not increase. However, an increase of Hm was achieved with maximum values in the range of 93-96 J g-1 corresponding to crystallinities off around 90%. Further studies were performed with once recrystallized L-lactide. Again, those samples directly crystallized from the polymerization process showed the highest Tm values. These data were compared with the equilibrium Tm0 and Hm0 data calculated by several research groups for perfect crystallites. A Tm0 of 213+/-2°C and a Hm0 of 106 J g-1 show the best agreement with the experimental data. The consequences of annealing for the thickness growth of crystallites are discussed on the basis of SAXS measurements. Finally, a comparison of cyclic and linear poly L-lactide)s is discussed. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Transesterification PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-538656 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D1MA00957E SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Royal Society for Chemistry AN - OPUS4-53865 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. A1 - Chatti, S. A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. T1 - About the transformation of low Tm into high Tm poly(L-lactide)s by annealing under the influence of transesterification catalysts N2 - Cyclic polylactides were prepared in bulk at 170 °C, crystallized at 120 °C and then annealed at temperatures between 130 and 170 C with variation of catalyst, catalyst concentration and annealing time. The transformation of the initially formed low melting (LTm) crystallites, having melting temperatures (Tm) <180 °C into high melting (HTm) crystallites having Tm values > 189 °C was monitored by means of DSC measurements and characterized in selected cases by SAXS measurements. It was confirmed that the formation of HTm crystallites involves a significant growth of the thickness of the lamellar crystallites along with smoothing of their surface. Annealing at 170 °C for 1 d or longer causes thermal degradation with lowering of the molecular weights, a gradual transition of cyclic into linear chains and a moderate decrease of lamellar thickness. An unexpected result revealed by MALDI TOF mass spectrometry is a partial reorganization of the molecular weight distribution driven by a gain of crystallization enthalpy. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Crystallization KW - Annealing PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-521062 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ra10012a VL - 11 IS - 5 SP - 2872 EP - 2883 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-52106 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. T1 - High Tm linear poly(L-lactide)s prepared via alcohol-initiated ROPs of L-lactide N2 - Alcohol-initiated ROPs of L-lactide were performed in bulk at 160 °C for 72 h with variation of the catalyst or with variation of the initiator (aliphatic alcohols). Spontaneous crystallization was only observed when cyclic Sn(II) compounds were used as a catalyst. Regardless of initiator, high melting crystallites with melting temperatures (Tm) of 189–193 °C were obtained in almost all experiments with Sn(II) 2,2′-dioxybiphenyl (SnBiph) as catalyst, even when the time was shortened to 24 h. These HTm poly(lactide)s represent the thermodynamically most stable form of poly(L-lactide). Regardless of the reaction conditions, such high melting crystallites were never obtained when Sn(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2) was used as catalyst. SAXS measurements evidenced that formation of HTm poly(L-lactide) involves growth of the crystallite thickness, but chemical modification of the crystallite surface (smoothing) seems to be of greater importance. A hypothesis, why the “surface smoothing” is more effective for crystallites of linear chains than for crystallites composed of cycles is discussed. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Ring-opening polymerization PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-524330 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ra01990b VL - 11 IS - 23 SP - 14093 EP - 14102 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-52433 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Meyer, A. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - High Tm Poly(l-lactide)s by Means of Bismuth Catalysts? N2 - One series of BiSub-catalyzed ring-opening polymerizations (ROPs) is per-formed at 160 °C for 3 days with addition of difunctional cocatalysts to find out, if poly(l-lactide) crystallizes directly from the reaction mixture. An analogous series is performed with monofunctional cocatalysts. High Tm crystal-lites (Tm > 190 °C) are obtained from all bifunctional cocatalysts, but not from all monofunctional ones. It is shown by means of SAXS measurements that the high Tm values are mainly a consequence of a transesterification–homogenization process across the lamellar surfaces resulting in thickness and smoothing of the surfaces. An unusual enthalpy-driven modification of the molecular weight distribution is found for samples that have crystallized during the polymerization. A third series of ROPs is performed at 170 °C for 2 h followed by annealing at 120 °C (2 h) to induce crystallization. Complete transformation of the resulting low Tm crystallites (Tm < 180 °C) into the high Tm crystallites by annealing at 170 °C for 1 d is not achieved, despite variation of the cocatalyst. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Crystallization PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-522777 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202100019 SN - 1022-1352 VL - 222 IS - 8 SP - 19 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-52277 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - ROP of L-lactide and ε-caprolactone catalyzed by tin(ii) andtin(iv) acetates–switching from COOH terminated linear chains to cycles N2 - The catalytic potential of tin(II)acetate, tin(IV)acetate, dibutyltin-bis-acetate and dioctyl tin-bis-acetate was compared based on polymerizations of L-lactide conducted in bulk at 160 or 130°C. With SnAc2 low-Lac/Cat ratios (15/1–50/1) were studied and linear chains having one acetate and one carboxyl end group almost free of cyclics were obtained. Higher monomer/catalyst ratios and lower temperatures favored formation of cycles that reached weight average molecular weights (Mw's) between 100,000 and 2,500,000. SnAc4 yielded mixtures of cycles and linear species under all reaction conditions. Dibutyltin- and dioctyl tin bis-acetate yielded cyclic polylactides under most reaction conditions with Mw's in the range of 20,000–80,000. Ring-opening polymerizations performed with ε-caprolactone showed similar trends, but the formation of COOH-terminated linear chains was significantly more favored compared to analogous experiments with lactide. The reactivity of the acetate catalysts decreased in the following order: SnAc2> SnAc4>Bu2SnAc2~Oct2SnAc2 KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Catalyst KW - Ring-opening polymerization KW - Tin acetates PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-521923 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20200866 VL - 59 IS - 5 SP - 439 EP - 450 PB - Wiley Online Library AN - OPUS4-52192 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. T1 - SnOct2-catalyzed ROPs of L-lactide initiated by acidic OH- compounds: Switching from ROP to polycondensation and cyclization N2 - Ring-opening polymerizations (ROPs) of L-lactide are performed in bulk at 130°C with tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate as catalyst and various phenols of differentacidity as initiators. Crystalline polylactides having phenyl ester end groups are isolated, which are almost free of cyclics. The dispersities and molecular weights are higher than those obtained from alcohol-initiated ROPs under identical conditions. Polymerizations at 160°C yield higher molecular weights than expected from the monomer/initiator ratio and a considerable fraction of cycles. The fraction of cycles increases with higher reactivity of the ester end group indicating that the cycles are formed by end-to-end cyclization. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polymerization PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-540250 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20210823 SN - 2642-4150 VL - 60 IS - 5 SP - 785 EP - 793 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-54025 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Synthesis of polylactides by means of tin catalysts N2 - This article reviews the usefulness of tin(II) and tin(IV) salts and compounds as catalysts for the polymerization of lactides. The text is subdivided into nine parts mainly reflecting different polymerization strategies, such as ring-opening polymerization (ROP), ring-expansion polymerization (REP), ROP combined with simultaneous polycondensation (ROPPOC), various catalysts with unknown polymerization mechanisms, and polycondensation of lactic acid. Since the toxicity of tin salts and compounds is a matter of concern and frequently mentioned in numerous publications, the first section deals with facts instead of myths about the toxicity of tin salts and compounds. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Tin catalysts PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-545050 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2py00092j SP - 1 EP - 30 PB - Royal Society for Chemistry AN - OPUS4-54505 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 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 - 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 - 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-541931 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202100308 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 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Ring-ring equilibration (RRE) of cyclic poly(L-lactide)s by means of cyclic tin catalysts N2 - With 2,2-dibutyl-2-stanna-1,3-dithiolane (DSTL) and 2-stanna-1,3-dioxa-4,5,6,7-dibenzoxepane (SnBiPh) as catalysts ring-expansion polymerizations (REP) were performed either in 2 M solution using three different solvents and two different temperatures or in bulk at 140 and 120 ◦C. A kinetically controlled rapid REP up to weight average molecular masses (Mẃs) above 300 000 was followed by a slower degradation of the molecular masses at 140 ◦C, but not at 120 ◦C Furthermore, a low molecular mass cyclic poly(L-lactide) (cPLA) with a Mn around 16 000 was prepared by polymerization in dilute solution and used as starting material for ring-ring equilibration at 140 ◦C in 2 M solutions. Again, a decrease of the molecular mass was detectable, suggesting that the equilibrium Mn is below 5 000. The degradation of the molecular masses via RRE was surprisingly more effective in solid cyclic PLA than in solution, and a specific transesterification mechanism involving loops on the surface of crystallites is proposed. This degradation favored the formation of extended-ring crystallites, which were detectable by a “saw-tooth pattern” in their MALDI mass spectra. KW - Organic Chemistry KW - Polymers and Plastics KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Materials Chemistry PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-593819 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2024.112765 SN - 0014-3057 VL - 206 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-59381 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rösler, Alexander A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Klamroth, Tillmann A1 - Müller, Axel H. E. A1 - Schlaad, Helmut T1 - Kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene in hydrocarbon solvents N2 - The kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene initiated by sec‐butyllithium were examined in saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon solvents, i.e. cyclohexane, cyclohexene, 4‐vinylcyclohexene and dl‐limonene. Polymerizations usually proceeded in a living manner, i.e. in the absence of termination and chain transfer reactions, in all solvents, to produce well‐defined polymyrcenes with high content (85%) of cis‐1,4 units. However, polymyrcenyllithium chains exhibited limited long‐term stability in 4‐vinylcyclohexene solution, most probably due to chain transfer to solvent. Reaction orders with respect to the concentration of active chains were found to be one‐quarter in cyclohexane increasing to one‐half in unsaturated solvents, indicating that the polymyrcenyllithium chains are present as tetrameric or dimeric associates, respectively. Apparent activation energies were found to be 81 kJ mol−1 in cyclohexane and 77 kJ mol−1 in dl‐limonene solution, which are close to the values obtained by quantum chemical calculations. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Anionic polymerization KW - β‐myrcene KW - Kinetics KW - Reaction order KW - Activation energy KW - Microstructure KW - Quantum chemical calculations PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630900 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.6772 SN - 1097-0126 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-63090 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Zwitterionic polymerization of glycolide catalyzed by pyridine N2 - The usefulness of various N- and P-based catalysts for syntheses of cyclic polyglycolide via zwitterionic polymerization of glycolide was examined. Most catalysts produced discolored, largely insoluble polyglycolides consisting of cycles and unidentified byproducts. Soluble, cyclic polyglycolides were obtained using neat pyridine as catalyst at 120 °C, 100 °C, 80 °C, and even at 60 °C. The number-average molecular weights were extremely low and depended slightly on the glycolide-to-pyridine ratio. Three different mass distributions of the cycles were detected by mass spectrometry, depending on the reaction conditions. The cyclic polyglycolides were also characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. The SAXS data in combination with the mass spectra indicate that the majority of the cycles form extended-ring crystallites KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polylactide KW - Polymerization KW - Zitterions PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639748 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5py00762c SN - 1759-9954 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-63974 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, Andreas T1 - Poly(butylene terephthalate): About condensation, cyclization, degradation and elimination reactions in the solid state, and the role of smooth crystal surfaces N2 - Three commercial poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) samples - Pocan B1300 (B13), Pocan B1600 (B16), and Addigy P 1210 (AP121) - served as the starting materials for the annealing experiments, which were conducted with and without the addition of esterification and transesterification catalysts. The catalysts used were Sn(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct₂), Zr(IV) acetylacetonate, and 4-toluene sulfonic acid (TSA). Temperatures varied between 150 and 210 °C. The PBT samples were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry. The MALDI mass spectra of all three samples differed greatly but displayed mass peaks of cycles. Similar results were produced by annealing with SnOct₂ or Zr(acac)₄, which favored the formation of even-numbered cycles within the mass range below m/z 5000, along with slow degradation. TSA favored a more intensive degradation without the formation of cycles or even with the destruction of cycles. PBT chains with two carboxylic (COOH) end groups were the most stable species under all circumstances. The origin of the extremely high melting point of AP121 (241–242 °C) can be explained by the smoothing of crystallite surfaces via transesterification. The results suggest that combining MALDI mass spectrometry and SAXS measurements provides a new way to better understand the solid-state chemistry of PBT and related polyesters. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polybutylene Terephthalate KW - Crystallization KW - solid state KW - cyclization PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-652844 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111862 SN - 0141-3910 VL - 245 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-65284 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dalgic, Mete‐Sungur A1 - Kumar, Sourabh A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Quantitative Analysis of Polymers by MALDI‐TOF Mass Spectrometry: Correlation Between Signal Intensity and Arm Number N2 - The signal intensities of linear and star‐shaped poly(L‐lactides) (PLA) and poly (ethylene oxides) (PEO) were compared to determine the influence of the number of arms on the ionization in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry. In this study, a variety of blends were prepared and investigated, including binary and ternary combinations of linear and star‐shaped polymers with similar molecular masses. The focus was on examining their intensity ratios. In equimolar binary PLA blends, polymer stars were observed to exhibit higher intensities than their linear counterparts. This result was supported by experiments with equimolar ternary PLA blends, which clearly demonstrated an intensity dependence on the number of polymer arms. It was observed that four‐arm PLA exhibited higher intensities than three‐arm PLA. A similar trend was observed in investigations involving acetylated polymer end groups, suggesting that differences in ionization are primarily influenced by polymer architecture rather than end groups. In order to validate this assumption, the binding energies for [polymer‐K] + adduct ions utilizing the most stable geometry obtained from GOAT (Global Optimizer Algorithm) were calculated, revealing that star‐shaped lower mass oligomers have slightly higher binding energies. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Starlike polymers KW - Quantification KW - Topology PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653401 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/jms.70023 SN - 1076-5174 VL - 61 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd. AN - OPUS4-65340 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, Andreas A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R. T1 - Cyclic polyglycolide by means of metal acetylacetonates N2 - Glycolide was polymerized in bulk at 160 °C using various metal acetylacetonates as catalysts. Zirconium acetylacetonate was particularly efficient, enabling rapid polymerization even at 130 °C. The formation of cyclic poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), most likely via a ring-expansion polymerization (REP) mechanism, was proven by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Depending on the polymerization conditions, the formation of even-numbered cycles was favored to varying degrees. Number-average molecular weights (Mn) in the range of 2000–3500 g mol−1 were achieved with dispersities below 2.0. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) powder patterns showed that the crystal lattice was the same as that of known linear PGAs, regardless of the Mn values. These patterns enabled a comparison of crystallinities with values derived from DSC measurements. KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Polyglycolide KW - Crystallization KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering KW - Cyclization PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653731 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ra07961f SN - 2046-2069 VL - 16 IS - 2 SP - 1757 EP - 1764 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-65373 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -