Highly Active Heterogeneous Double Metal Cyanide Catalysts for Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cyclic Monomers

A series of heterogeneous Zn-Co double metal cyanide (DMC) catalysts were investigated for ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of various cyclic monomers. Notably, inexpensive and commonly used organic solvents such as acetone, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, nitromethane, and 1-methylpyrrolidin-2-one were very effective complexing agents for the preparation of DMC catalysts, showing high catalytic activity for the ROP of propylene oxide, epsilon-caprolactone, and delta-valerolactone. The chemical structures and compositions of the resultant catalysts were determined using various techniques such as FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis. alpha, omega-Hydroxyl-functionalized polyether and polyester polyols with high yields and tunable molecular weights were synthesized in the presence of various initiators to control functionality. Kinetic studies of the ROP of delta-valerolactone were also performed to confirm the reaction mechanism.

Automated summary

A series of heterogeneous Zn-Co double metal cyanide (DMC) catalysts were investigated for ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of various cyclic monomers. It was found that inexpensive and commonly used organic solvents were effective complexing agents for the preparation of DMC catalysts, which showed high catalytic activity for the ROP of propylene oxide, epsilon-caprolactone, and delta-valerolactone. The chemical structures and compositions of the catalysts were determined using various techniques, and alpha, omega-hydroxyl-functionalized polyether and polyester polyols with high yields and tunable molecular weights were successfully synthesized in the presence of different initiators. Kinetic studies of the ROP of delta-valerolactone were also conducted to confirm the reaction mechanism.