Ring-Opening Polymerization of 1,4-Dioxan-2-one Initiated by Lanthanum Isopropoxide

Poly(1,4-Dioxan-2-one)or poly(p-dioxanone),PPDO,was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of 1,4-dioxan-2-one using Lanthanum isopropoxide(La(O~iPr)_3)as an initiator.The investigation showed that the reaction rate of polymerization,monomer conversion and molecular weight of PPDO were influenced dominantly by the ratio of monomer to initiator,reaction temperature and reaction time.PPDO with a weight-average molecular weight of 25200 and dispersity of 1.3 can be synthesized at 80℃ within 5 hours,and the corresponding conversion of monomer reach ac.90%.