RING-OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF l,4-DIOXAN-2-ONE INITIATED BY LANTHANUM TRIS(2,6-DI-TERT-BUTYL-4-METHYLPHENOLATE)

The ring-opening polymerization of 1,4-dioxan-2-one (PDO) was carried out by lanthanum tris(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolate) (La(OAr)3) as novel single component initiator. The influences of polymerization reaction temperature and the molar ratio of monomer to initiator on the monomer conversion and molecular weight of poly(1,4-dioxan-2-one) (PPDO) were explored. PPDO with high viscosity average molecular weight of 1.95×105 can be prepared at 40℃when [PDO]/ [La(OAr)3] molar ratio was 800. Mechanism investigation shows that the polymerization proceeds through a "coordinationinsertion" mechanism with selective rupture of acyl-oxygen bond of PDO.