In this project, three polymer characterization techniques were used to analyze the polymeric materials of poly-lactic acid (PLA) and poly-caprolactone (PCL) resulting from the ring opening polymerization of L-lactide and ε-caprolactone. The polymeric materials were prepared with new five-coordinate aluminum complexes composed of two 2,6-dimethylphenoxide ligands and a tridentate ketoiminate supporting ligand with varying electronic properties due to the incorporation of trifluoromethyl groups. The resulting polymeric materials were analyzed with nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry to determine percentage conversion; gel permeation chromatography to determine polymer molecular weight and poly-dispersity index values; and differential scanning calorimetry to determine the thermal properties. For both PLA and PCL ROP, kinetic time courses showed a linear relationship between time and ln [monomer], and increasing polymerization activity was observed with increasing trifluoromethyl incorporation into the supporting ligand.

Kinetics of well-controlled ring-opening polymerization and characterization of isolated polymeric materials

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.