Ring-opening Copolymerization of Adipic Anhydride and Propylene Oxide Catalyzed by Yttrium Triflates

The ring-opening copolymerization of adipic anhydride with propylene oxide was carried out with yttrium triflates as a catalyst. Poly（propylene adipate） could be synthesized by controlling the copolymerization conditions. The copolymerization procedure was tracked by ^1H NMR analyses.

STUDY ON CATIONIC RING-OPENING COPOLYMERIZATION OF 1,4-ANHYDRO-2,3-DI-O-BENZYL-α-D-RIBOPYRANOSE WITH 1,4-ANHYDRO-2,3-O-ISOPROPYLIDENE-α-D-RIBOPYRANOSE

Cationic ring-opening copolymerization of 1, 4-anhydro-2, 3-O-isopropylidene-α-D-ribo-pyranose (AIRP) with 1,4-anhydro-2,3-di-O-benzyl-α-D-ribopyranose (ADBR) preparedfrom D-ribose was studied. Copolymerization using SbCl_5 or BF_3 OEt_2 as catalyst atlow temperature gave stereoregular (1→4)β-D-ribofuranan (C-1 and C-4 ring cleavagesee Scheme 1) or (1→5) α-D-ribofuranan (C-1 and C-5 ring cleavage) respectively. Theeffects of catalysts, reaction time and temperatures on yield and stereoregularity of the ob-tained polymers were studied. Polymers were characterized by molecular weight, ~1HNMR,^(13)CNMR and optical rotation.

Synthesis of poly(thiourethane-alt-thioester)by alternating ring-opening copolymerization of N-thiocarboxyanhydrides and episulfides

Polythiourethanes(PTU)and polythioesters(PTE)derived from renewable sources are emerging sustainable polymers for their excellent degradability and recyclability.However,P(TU-alt-TE)copolymers have been rare and challenging to synthesize.Here,we report the efficient synthesis of novel P(TU-alt-TE)copolymers via the alternating copolymerization of N-thiocarboxyanhydrides(NTA)/episufides(ES)and provide mechanistic insight into the alternating chain propagation process via density functional theory(DFT)calculation.The incorporation of ESs into traditional peptide backbone is capable of adjusting the glass transition temperature below thermal decomposition temperature,which confers better thermal processability by regulating the rigidity of the backbone and the hydrogen bond interaction among the polymer chains.Crosslinked PTUs with tailored properties are accessible by altering the feeding ratio of NTAs and(bifunctional)ESs.Moreover,the thiourethane in the backbone can endow interesting underwater adhesion properties to the materials.Considering the broad scope of NTA and ES monomers,this method is expected to provide a promising and general route to a wide range of P(TU-alt-TE)copolymers with diverse properties.

Highly active organocatalyst from a trivalent phosphazenium salt for ring-opening copolymerization of epoxides and cyclic anhydrides enhanced by hydrogen bonding interactions

It is highly desirable to develop simple organocatalysts for the controlled ring-opening alternating copolymerization(ROAC)of epoxides and cyclic anhydrides,leading to high molecular weight polyesters.Hence,a phosphazenium salt,namely tri[tris(dimethylamino)phosphoranylidenamino]phosphonium chloride(P_(4)^(+)Cl^(-)),is developed as a catalyst for the ROAC of epoxides and cyclic anhydrides.Surprisingly,the combination of P_(4)^(+)Cl^(-)with a protonic initiator,such as 1,4-benzenedimethanol(BDM)exhibited high efficiency in the copolymerization of propylene oxide(PO)and phthalic anhydride(PA).This led to the production of polyester with an exceptional high molecular weight(M_n)of up to 126 k Da,which represented a rare example of poly(PO-alt-PA)with Mnsurpassing 100 k Da.Note that the core P atom is trivalent status and the tris[tris(dimethylamino)]phosphoranyl group will share one proton in the P_(4)^(+)Cl^(-)salt.Once combined with protonic species,the P_(4)^(+)Cl^(-)will not only serve as a proton acceptor but also as a hydrogen bonding donor for the cyclic anhydrides.Therefore,it was assumed that the P_(4)^(+)plus proton served dual role in mimic of base/urea pair to effectively catalyze ROAC,which was supported by density functional theory(DFT)calculations.

Ring-Opening Copolymerization of Biorenewable -Caprolactone with trans-Hexahydro-(4,5)-benzofuranone toward Closed-Loop Recyclable Copolyesters and Their Application as Pressure- Sensitive Adhesives

Copolymerization as an efficient strategy can provide an opportunity to create new closed-loop recyclable polymeric materials with tailored properties that are generally inaccessible to the individual homopolymers.In this contribution,the bulk ring-opening copolymerization of bio-renewable-caprolactone and trans-hexahydro-(4,5)-benzofuranone was achieved to produce closed-loop recyclable copolyesters by using an organobase/urea binary catalyst at room temperature.The obtained copolyesters exhibited composition-dependent thermal properties.Remarkably,the obtained copolyesters were able to depolymerize back to recover the corresponding monomers under mild conditions.

Recyclable polymer functionalization via end-group modification and block/random copolymerization

Recyclable polymers offer a great opportunity to address the environmental issues of plastics.Herein,functionalization of recyclable polymers,poly((R)-3,4-trans six-membered ring-fused GBL)(P((R)-M)),were reported via end-group modifications and block/random copolymerizations.Di-n-butylmagnesium was selected to catalyze ring-opening polymerization(ROP)of(R)-M in the presence of a series of functional alcohols as the initiators.Block/random copolymerizations of(R)-M andε-caprolactone(ε-CL),L-lactide(L-LA)and trimethylene carbonate(TMC)were performed to control the onset decomposition temperature(T_(d)),melting temperature(T_(m))and glass transition temperature(T_(g)).These functionalized recyclable polymers would find broad applications as the sustainable plastics.

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND RING-OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF CYCLIC (ARYLENE PHOSPHONATE) OLIGOMERS

A series of cyclic (arylene phosphonate) oligomers were prepared by reaction of phenylphosphonic dichloride (PPD) with various bisphenols under pseudo-high dilution conditions via interfacial polycondensation. The yield of cyclic (arylene phosphonate) oligomers is over 85% by using hexadecyltrimethylammoniun bromide as phase transfer catalyst (PTC) at 0 'C . The structures of the cyclic oligomers were confirmed by a combination of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and IR analysis. These cyclic oligomers undergo facile ring-opening polymerization in the melt by using potassium 4,4'-biphenoxide as the initiator to give linear polyphosphonate. Free-radical ring-opening polymerization of cyclic(arylene phosphonate) oligomers containing sulfur linkages was also performed in the melt using 2,2'-dithiobis(benzothiazole) (DTB) as the initiator at 270 °C and the resulting polymer had a Mw, of 8 × 103 with a molecular weight distribution of 4. Ring-opening copolymerization of these cyclic oligomers with cyclic carbonate oligomers was also achieved. The average molecular weight of the resulting copolymer is higher than the corresponding homopolymer and the thermal stability of the copolymer is better than the corresponding homopolymer.

Kinetic Study of Carbonylation of Methyl Acetate to Acetic Anhydride Catalyzed by Rhodium Complex with a Ligand of Copolymer of Vinyl-acetic Ester and Acrylonitrile

The copolymer of vinyl acetic ester and acrylonitrile is used to react with [Rh（CO）2Cl]2to form a complex which can be used in the carbonylation of methyl acetate to acetic anhydride. Many factors affecting the reaction rate, catalytic activity and selectivity have been investigated. The reaction rate depends on rhodium complex and methyl iodide, and is differant from that of homogenous small molecular rhodium complex catalyst. It is revealed thatthe reaction rate is zero order in CO, first order in Rh and LiOAc, but the order in CH3I is complicated. The causes of these phenomena are discussed based on the mechanism of carbonylation of methyl acetate.

A NOVEL COPOLYMER-BOUND CIS-DICARBONYLRHODIUM COMPLEX FOR THE CARBONYLATION OF METHANOL TO ACETIC ACID AND ACETIC ANHYDRIDE

A series of porous microspheres of linear and ethylene diacrylate (M') cross-linked copolymers of 2-vinylpyridine (V) and methyl acrylate (M) reacted with tetracarbonyldichlorodirhodium to form a series of cis-dicarbonylrhodium chelate complex (MVRh and MVM 'Rh). They are thermally stable yet very reactive in the carbonylation of methanol to acetic acid, and of methanol-acetic acid mixture to acetic acid and acetic anhydride with a selectivity of 100% under relatively mild and anhydrous conditions.

The Catalytic Copolymerization of Ethene with Carbon Monoxide Efficiently Carried out in Water-Dichloromethane-Sodium Dodecylsulfate Emulsion

The CO-ethene copolymerization has been efficiently carried out in the water/CH2Cl2 emulsion by using water insolvable Pd(II) complexes. By using the surfactant SDS very high molecular weight copolymers have been obtained with high productivity (ca. 13,000 g/(gPd.h)).

Potassium Acetate/18-Crown-6 Pair:Robust and Versatile Catalyst for Synthesis of Polyols from Ring-Opening Copolymerization of Epoxides and Cyclic Anhydrides

Efficient synthesis of polyester polyols with tunable molecular weight and microstructures from cyclic anhydride/epoxide mixtures by taking advantage of chain transfer reaction remains a great challenge,because most of the catalysts exhibit poor tolerance to chain transfer agent(CTA).In this contribution,we demonstrated that potassium acetate(KOAc)and 18-crown-6(18-C-6)combination has great potential in the synthesis of diverse polyester polyols with controllable molecular weight and high-end group fidelity.Com-pared with KOAc,KOAc/18-C-6 pair could induce a much faster chain transfer between the active and dormant chains,and thus produce polyester polyols with narrow and monomodal distribution.In addition,polyester polyols could be efficiently prepared in laboratory by using commercially available cyclic anhydride without further purification(containing about 2%diacid residual as CTA)with an extremely low catalyst loading([catalyst pair]:[anhydride]:[epoxide]=1:50000:250000,[catalyst pair]=0.0004 mol%).KOAc/18-C-6 could also promote the self-switchable copolymerization of cyclic anhydride/epoxide/cyclic ester mixtures.Ring-opening copolymerization of cyclic ester was initiated automatically after the full conversion of cyclic anhydride,finally producing polyester polyols with ABA-type block structure.

Synthesis and Characterization of Amphiphific Block Copolymer Containing PVP and Poly（5-benzyloxytrimethylene carbonate）

Amphiphilic copolymer of 5-benzyloxytrimethylene carbonate （BTMC） with poly （vinyl pyrrolidone） （PVP） was successfully synthesized using immobilized porcine pancreas lipase （IPPL） or SnOct2 as catalyst. Hydroxyl terminated PVP, synthesized with 2-mercaptoethanol as a chain transfer reagent, was employed as a rnacroinitiator. The resulting copolymers were characterized by GPC, ^1H NMR and IR. Increasing the BTMC/PVP-OH feed ratio （[B]/[P]） resulted in the increase of Mn of corresponding copolymers and the decrease of Mw/Mn. Immobilized enzyme has comparable catalytic activity to SnOct2 for the copolymerization.

Epoxidation of Styrene-Isoprene-Styrene Block Copolymer and Research on Its Reaction Mechanism

Styrene-isoprene-styrene（SIS） block copolymer was modified into epoxidized styrene-isoprene-styrene（ESIS） block copolymer with performic acid generated in situ from hydrogen peroxide and formic acid.The structure and property of ESIS were characterized by Fourier transform infrared（FT-IR） spectroscopy,gel permeation chromatography（GPC）,thermogravimetric/differential thermogravimetric（TG/DTG）,melt flow rate（MFR） and dynamic mechanical analysis（DMA）,and the reaction mechanism in the process of epoxidation was analyzed.The results showed that C=C double bonds of 1,4-structure were more active than that of 3,4-structure in polyisoprene chains.With epoxidation reaction proceeding,the whole tendency of molecular weight increased and molecular weight distribution widened,and MFR firstly increased and latterly decreased.The heat resistance of ESIS was superior to that of SIS.When SIS was changed into ESIS with 15.3% of mass fraction of epoxide groups,Tg of polyisoprene chains increased from-45.3 ℃ to 10.9 ℃.In the earlier period of epoxidation,some molecular chains ruptured and new substances with low molecular weight formed.However,in the latter period,crosslinking reaction between molecular chains which was initiated by epoxide groups or C=C double bonds occurred and crosslinked insoluble substances came into being.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLY(AMINO ACID-UREA)S COMPRISING NOVEL TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS OF POLY(TETRAHYDROFURAN)AND POLY(γ-BENZYL L-GLUTAMATE)S

A kind of novel triblock copolymers of poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)-b-poly(tetrahydrofuran)-b-poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)s(PBLG-b-PTHF-b-PBLG)was synthesized by using bis(3-aminopropyl)terminated polytetrahydrofuran to initiate the ring-opening polymerization ofγ-benzyl L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride(BLG-NCA).The corresponding multiblock poly(amino acid-urea)s were prepared in one-pot protocol from the chain extension of PBLG-b-PTHF-b-PBLG with MDI.The resulting triblock and multiblock copolymers were characterized by FTIR,~1H-NMR,^(13)C-NMR and GPC techniques.It is demonstrated that the chain extension has taken place to give rise to the copolymers with the well-defined block composition and narrow molecular weight distribution.A distinct T_g arising from the hard-segments was observed in all the copolymers.Their mechanical properties showed an increasing trend with the molecular weight enhancement of the prepolymers.

Hybrid Copolymerization via the Combination of Proton Transfer and Ring-opening Polymerization

Phosphazene base,t-BuP2,was employed to catalyze the proton transfer polymerization(PTP)of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate(HEA),and PTP was further combined with ring-opening polymerization(ROP)to exploit a new type of hybrid copolymerization.The studies on homopolymerization showed that t-BuP2 was a particularly efficient catalyst for the polymerization of HEA at room temperature,giving an excellent monomer conversion.Throughout the polymerization,transesterification reactions were unavoidable,which increased the randomness in the structures of the resulting polymers.The studies on copolymerization showed that t-BuP2 could simultaneously catalyze the hybrid copolymerization via the combination of PTP and ROP at 25°C.During copolymerization,HEA not only provided hydroxyl groups to initiate the ROP ofε-caprolactone(CL)but also participated in the polymerization as a monomer for PTP.The copolymer composition was approximately equal to the feed ratio,demonstrating the possibility to adjust the polymeric structure by simply changing the monomer feed ratio.This copolymerization reaction provides a simple method for synthesizing degradable functional copolymers from commercially available materials.Hence,it is important not only in polymer chemistry but also in environmental and biomedical engineering.

Ring-opening Copolymerization of Cyclohexene Oxide and Maleic Anhydride Catalyzed by Mononuclear [Zn(L)(H_2O)] or Binuclear [Zn_2(L)(OAc)_2(H_2O)] Complex Based on the Salen-type Schiff-base Ligand

From the self-assembly of the typical Salen-type Schiff-base ligand H2L and Zn（OAc）2.2H20 in the molar ratio of 1：1 or 1：2, the mononuclear [Zn（L）（H2O）] （1） or binuclear [Zn2（L）（OAc）2（H2O）] （2） are obtained, respectively. For both complexes 1 and 2, the unsaturated five-coordinate coordination environment to the catalytic active centers （Zn2＋ ions） permits the monomer insertion for the effective solution copolymerization of cyclohexene oxide and maleic anhydride. All the solution copolymerizations afford poly（ester-co-ether）s, while lower catalyst and co-catalyst concentrations are helpful for the formation of alternating polyester. Of the three co-catalysts, 4-（dimethylamino）pyridine is found to be the most efficient, while an excess thereof is detrimental for chain growth of the copolymers.

Enzymatic ring-opening copolymerization of trimethylene carbonate and ethylene ethyl phosphate

Enzymatic ring-opening copolymerization of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) and ethylene ethyl phosphate (EEP) are performed in bulk at 100°C using porcine pancreas lipase (PPL) or candida rugosa lipase (CL) as catalyst. The factors affecting the yield and molecular weights such as catalyst concentration, polymerization time and monomer feed ratio are investigated. The random copolymers obtained have molecular weight ranging from 3200 to 10200. The glass transition temperature (T g) of the copolymers decreases from ?28 to ?41.7°C, with the increase of the EEP content in the feed from zero to 5:10. Degradation tests show that the degradability of the copolymers is improved by introduction of the EEP unit into the copolymer chain.

Synthesis and Characterization of ABBA Block Copolymer of Glycolide and ε-Caprolactone

A biodegradable ABBA block copolymer was synthesized via the ring-opening co-polymerization of ~ε-caprolactone(CL, B) and glycolide(A) by means of step polymerization in the presence of ethylene glycol as an initiator and stannous octanoate as a catalyst at 110 ℃ for 48 h. The molecular length of the PCL pre-polymer(BB) could be adjusted by controlling the molar ratio of the ethylene glycol initiator to ε-caprolactone monomer. The structure and the composition of the block copolymer were determined by the weight ratio of the monomer glycolide(A) to PCL pre-polymer(BB). The block copolymers were characterized by ~ 1H NMR, GPC, DSC and X-ray. The results confirm the successful synthesis of an ABBA block copolymer.

Synthesis and Properties of Biodegradable Copolymers of 9-Phenyl-2, 4, 8, 10-tetraoxaspiro-[5, 5]undcane-3-one and Ethylene Ethyl Phosphate

Novel biodegradable copolymer poly（CC-co-EEP） was synthesized by ring-opening copolymerization of cyclic carbonate 9-phenyl-2, 4, 8, 10-tetraoxaspiro-[5, 5]undcane-3-one （CC） and ethylene ethyl phosphate （EEP）. The obtained poly （CC-co-EEP）s were characterized by FTIR, ^1H NMR, ^13C NMR and gel permeation chromatography （GPC）. In vitro hydrolytic degradation of the copolymers were investigated in phosphate buffer solution （pH=7.4）. Hydrophilic phosphate units apparently improved the degradability of poly（carbonate-phosphate）.

SYNTHESIS OF BLOCK COPOLYMER FROM 5,6 -BENZO-2-METHYLENE-1,3-DIOXEPANE AND METHYL ACRYLATE VIA ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION

Poly(methyl acrylate)-b-poly(5,6-benzo-2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane) (PMA-b-PBMDO) was synthesized by two-step atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Firstly, ATRP of methyl acrylate (MA) was realized using ethyl alpha-bromobutyrate (EBrB) as initiator in the presence of CuBr/2,2'-bipyridine. After isolation, poly(methyl acrylate) with terminal bromine (PMA-Br) was synthesized. Secondly, the resulting PMA-Br was used as a macromolecular initiator in the ATRP of BMDO. The structure of block copolymer was characterized by H-1-NMR spectroscopy. Molecular weight and molecular weight distribution were determined on a gel permeation chromatograph (GPC).