Initiators For Lactide Ring-Opening Polymerisation
 

Polylactide is currently the leading bio-renewable plastic, i.e. it derives entirely from renewable resources (the monomer lactide comes from corn/sugar beet) and is degradable; it is applied in packaging, fibres as well as specialized medical products. The Williams research group have reported a series of yttrium initiators for lactide polymerisation. The new yttrium complexes are highly active, indeed the polymerisation rates are amongst the highest yet reported. The complexes also give highly controlled polymerisation, including stereocontrol; important because it prepares polylactide with predictable properties (e.g. crystallinity, melting temperature, strength). We have recently discovered a method to control the stereochemistry of the polymer product by changing the nuclearity of the initiator.

Publications
 
  1. Bakewell, C.; Cao, T.-P.-A.; Long, N.; Le Goff, X. F.; Auffrant, A.; Williams, C. K., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 20577
  2. Cao, T.-P.-A.; Buchard, A.; Le Goff, X. F.; Auffrant, A.; Williams, C. K., Inorg. Chem. 2012, 51, 2157
  3. Bakewell, C.; Platel, R. H.; Cary, S. K.; Hubbard, S. M.; Roaf, J. M.; Levine, A. C.; White, A. J. P.; Long, N. J.; Haaf, M.; Williams, C. K., Organometallics 2012, 31, 4729
  4. Platel, R. H.; White, A. J. P.; Williams, C. K., Inorg. Chem. 2011, 50 , 7718
  5. Buchard, A.; Platel, R. H.; Auffrant, A.; Le Goff, X. F.; Le Floch, P.; Williams, C. K., Organometallics 2010, 29, 2892
  6. Platel, R. H.; White, A. J. P.; Williams, C. K. Chem. Commun. 2009, 4115.
  7. Buchard, A.; Auffrant, A.; Ricard, L.; Le Goff, X. F.; Platel, R. H.; Williams, C. K.; Le Floch, P. Dalton Trans. 2009, 10219.
  8. Knight, P. D.; White, A. J. P.; Williams, C. K. Inorg. Chem. 2008, 47, 11711.
  9. Platel, R. H.; Hodgson, L. M.; Williams, C. K. Polym. Rev. 2008, 48, 11.
  10. Platel, R. H.; White, A. J. P.; Williams, C. K. Inorg. Chem. 2008, 47, 6840.
  11. Hodgson, L. M.; Platel, R. H.; White, A. J. P.; Williams, C. K. Macromolecules 2008, 41, 8603.
  12. Platel, R. H.; Hodgson, L. M.; White, A. J. P.; Williams, C. K. Organometallics 2007, 26, 4955.
  13. Hodgson, L. M.; White, A. J. P.; Williams, C. K. J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Chem. 2006, 44, 6646.