Work

Master of Chaos and Order: Opposite Microstructures of PCL‐co‐PGA‐co‐PLA Accessible by a Single Catalyst**

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: One catalyst, two reaction set‐ups, three monomers and unlimited macromolecular microstructural designs: The iron guanidine complex [FeCl2(TMG5NMe2asme)] (1) polymerizes lactide faster than the industrially used Sn(Oct)2 and shows high activity towards glycolide and ϵ‐caprolactone. Its distinguished features enable the synthesis of both block and random‐like copolymers in the melt by a simple change of the polymerization set‐up. Sequential addition of monomers yields highly ordered block copolymers including the symmetrical PLA‐b‐PGA‐b‐PCL‐b‐PGA‐b‐PLA pentablock copolymers, while polymerizations of monomer mixtures feature enhanced transesterifications and pave the way to di‐ and terpolymers with highly dispersed repeating unit distributions. A robust catalyst active under industrially applicable conditions and producing copolymers with desired microstructures is a major step towards biocompatible polymers with tailor‐made properties as alternatives for traditional plastics on the way towards a sustainable, circular material flow.

Source: Angewandte Chemie International Edition

DOI: 10.1002/anie.202112853

Authors: Ruth D. Rittinghaus, Johannes Zenner, Andrij Pich, Moshe Kol, Sonja Herres‐Pawlis

Institutions: RWTH Aachen University, Tel Aviv University

Language: English

Topic: biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties

Subfield: Biomaterials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $5,100

Funders: Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Israel Science Foundation