申请人:Colorado State University Research Foundation
公开号:US20210206912A1
公开(公告)日:2021-07-08
Biodegradable polymers with advantageous physical and chemical properties are described, as well as methods for making such polymers. In one embodiment, a new chemical synthesis route to technologically important biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB) with high isotacticity and molecular weight required for a practical use is described. The new route can utilize racemic eight-membered cyclic diolide (rac-DL), meso-DL, or a rac-DL and meso-DL mixture, derived from bio-sourced dimethyl succinate, and enantiomeric (R,R)-DL and (S,S)-DL, optically resolved by metal-based catalysts. With a stereoselective racemic molecular catalyst, the ROP of rac-DL under ambient conditions produces rapidly P3HB with essentially perfect isotacticity ([mm] >99%), high crystallinity and melting temperature (T
m
=171° C.), as well as high molecular weight and low dispersity (M
n
=1.54×10
5
g/mol, Ð=1.01).