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Updated: Sep 9, 2026

Controlled Photoredox Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides Mediated by Ni/Zn Complexes
Published on: November 21, 2017
A thermally robust β-diketiminate zinc initiator for high-temperature bulk polymerization of β-butyrolactone toward
Jianwei Jiang1, Sudakar Padmanaban2, Yunho Lee3
1Department of Chemistry, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea. sunghoyoon@cau.ac.kr.
Abstract:
β-Diketiminate (BDI)-supported zinc complexes are among the most efficient initiators for the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of β-butyrolactone (BBL), but their application in high-temperature bulk polymerization is limited by initiator deactivation. To improve thermal robustness, a new BDI-supported zinc initiator incorporating a 2,6-bis(diphenylmethyl)-4-methylphenyl substituent was designed, synthesized, and structurally characterized. Compared with a conventional BDI-supported zinc initiator, the new complex exhibits superior performance in the bulk polymerization of BBL at elevated temperatures, affording colorless poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) with number-average molecular weights up to 187 000 g mol-1 under solvent-free conditions. The enhanced polymerization performance is attributed to improved thermal robustness arising from the suppression of initiator deactivation during high-temperature polymerization.
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