Access to high-molecular-weight poly(γ-butyrolactone) by using simple commercial catalysts

Abstract

The emerging poly(γ-butyrolactone) (PGBL) represents a significant branch of sustainable polymers that exhibit full chemical recyclability. However, it is a great challenge to synthesize high-molecular-weight PGBL. Herein, we present simple commercial organomagnesium compounds for ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of γ-butyrolactone (GBL). Through facile manipulation of the reaction conditions, the topology of PGBL could be well controlled. The addition of organomagnesium into the premixture of GBL and Ph₂CHOH yielded predominantly Ph₂CHO/H terminated linear polymers. By using di-n-butylmagnesium in the absence of Ph₂CHOH, predominantly linear PGBL (M_{n, SEC-MALS} = 110 kg mol⁻¹) with butyl/H chain ends was produced and it exhibited enhanced mechanical properties (elongation at break 735%, tensile strength 50.1 MPa). We believe that this contribution would provide insights into sustainable polymer synthesis and catalysis.