title: Preparation of stereoregular isotactic poly(mandelic acid) through organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization of a cyclic O-carboxyanhydride.
abstract: Poly(mandelic acid) (PMA) is an aryl analogue of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and a biodegradable analogue of polystyrene. The preparation of stereoregular PMA was realized using a pyridine/mandelic acid adduct (Py⋅MA) as an organocatalyst for the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of the cyclic O-carboxyanhydride (manOCA). Polymers with a narrow polydispersity index and excellent molecular-weight control were prepared at ambient temperature. These highly isotactic chiral polymers exhibit an enhancement of the glass-transition temperature (T(g)) of 15 °C compared to the racemic polymer, suggesting potential future application as high-performance commodity and biomedical materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY (UK).
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buchard
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Carbery
authors.forename: Matthew G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Petya K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Ivanova
authors.forename: Ben J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Jeffery
authors.forename: Gabriele I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Kociok-Köhn
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lowe
keywords: organocatalysis; poly(mandelic acid); ring-opening polymerization; stereoregular polymer; sustainable chemistry