BIAN‐Fe(η6‐C6H6): Synthesis, characterization, and l‐lactide polymerization

Abstract

The α‐diimine‐ligated Fe‐complex, BIAN‐Fe(C6H6), was synthesized and evaluated for the polymerization of l‐lactide. Characterization of BIAN‐Fe(C6H6) reveals that it is redox non‐innocent and suggests that it is an Fe(I) species bearing a radical‐anionic ligand. We will demonstrate that BIAN‐Fe(C6H6) is active for the ring‐opening polymerization of l‐lactide, and that polymer is produced with, or without, the use of an added external initiator. Interestingly, very high molecular weight polymers are produced in the absence of external initiator whereas polymer molecular weights that agree with theoretical calculations are produced in the presence of external initiator. To the best of our knowledge, BIAN‐Fe(C6H6) is the first Fe‐based α‐diimine catalyst reported to be active for the polymerization of l‐lactide. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 2824–2830

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jun 23, 2017
Source ID
10.1002/pola.28688

Entities

People

  • Brian K Long
  • Daniel K Unruh
  • Francis S. Wekesa
  • Lauren A. Brown
  • Michael Findlater

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • Texas Tech University
  • University of Tennessee

Tags

Readers

  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies
  • Nanoscale Plasmonic Nanotechnology
  • Quantum Chemistry