Polyesters and polycarbonates constitute a key class of functional materials as solutions to challenges and new opportunities in chemistry, materials science and medicine. A family of highly selective catalysts, urea anions, lead to the controlled polymerization of a range of monomers in seconds to generate well-defined homopolymers and block copolymers. The observed anion catalytic activity is a function of the acidity of the ureas, which prompted a systematic investigation of the benchmark organocatalyst thiourea/DBU system. The findings not only deliver a suite of catalysts with activities ranging almost 10 orders of magnitude that can cater to various synthetic demands, but also provide useful guidelines for the rational design of catalysts.

Organic ring-opening polymerization catalysts: A facile approach to homopolymers and block copolymers

256th National Meeting (2018)

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