Alkali Metal Carboxylate as an Efficient and Simple Catalyst for Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cyclic Esters

Abstract

Alkali metal carboxylates were discovered as efficient and simple catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters that are alternatives to conventional metal-based catalysts and organocatalysts. In our system using an alcohol initiator and this simple catalyst, biodegradable and biocompatible aliphatic polyesters, such as poly(lactide), poly(e-caprolactone), poly(δ-valerolactone), and poly(trimethylene carbonate), were obtained with predictive molecular weights ranging from 3500 to 22 600 and narrow dispersities. A kinetic experiment for the ROP of l-lactide confirmed the controlled/living nature of the present ROP system, which allowed the precise synthesis of end-functionalized polyesters as well as multihydroxyl-containing polyesters, including α,ω-hydroxy telechelic and star-shaped polyesters. Furthermore, a block copolymer containing the poly(l-lactide) segment was successfully synthesized using a macroinitiator possessing a hydroxyl group at the chain end. The tunability of the alkali...