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Macromolecular Rapid Communications, Vol.28, No.13, 1385-1391, 2007
L,L-lactide and epsilon-caprolactone block copolymers by a'poly(L,L-lactide) block first' route
L,L-lactide (LA) and epsilon-caprolactone (CL) block copolymers have been prepared by initiating the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) block growth with living poly(L,L-lactide) (PLA*). In the previous attempts to prepare block copolymers this way only random copolyesters were obtained because the PLA* + CL cross-propagation rate was lower than that of the PLA-CL* + PLA transesterification. The present paper shows that application of Al-alkoxide active centers that bear bulky diphenolate ligands results in efficient suppression of the transesterification. Thus, the corresponding well-defined di- and triblock copolymers could be prepared.
Keywords:aluminum alkoxide;epsilon-caprolactone;block copolymers;L,L-lactide;living polymerization;ring-opening polymerization;transesterification