Synthesis and characterization of salen-Ti(IV) complex and application in the controllable polymerization of D,...

Poly(lactic acid) has been extensively investigated in the biomedical field because of its good biocompatibility and biodegradability. As an important method of poly(lactic acid) synthesis, metal complex-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide can achieve a controllable lactide polymerization through the selection of appropriate ligands and metals. In this study, a novel metal (LTi-O)2 complex was synthesized and structurally characterized. (LTi-O)2 showed a relatively high catalytic activity and controllability of Poly(D, L-lactide) (PDLLA) molecular weights (polydispersity index of 1.02-1.22) in the ROP of D,L-lactide. The kinetic equation of D,L-LA ROP catalyzed by (LTi-O)2 could be expressed as-d[M]/dt = k[M]2[(LTi-O)2]1, and the reaction activation energy was 95.67 kJ·mol-1. Physical/chemical properties and biocompatibility evaluation results showed that PDLLA obtained through the (LTi-O)2-catalyzed ROP of D,L- lactide exhibited a good degradation performance and excellent biocompatibility.