Renewable cyclic monomers for ring-opening polymerisation and co-polymerisation with L-lactide Anita Plumley 1 , Craig Hardy 1 , Antoine Buchard 1 , Gabriele Kociok-Köhn 2 1 Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies, University of Bath, UK, 2 Materials and Chemical Characterisation Facility (MC2), University of Bath, UK The reliance of plastic synthesis on fossil fuels is highly unsustainable. Polymers from renewable sources such as sugars are a highly attractive alternative due to their functionality and abundance. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a commercial bioplastic made from the ring-opening polymerisation (ROP) of L-lactide [1, 2] and is currently one of the most successful commercially available sustainable polymers. [3] PLA’s low melting point and high mechanical strength make it an attractive alternative to traditional plastics in applications such as 3D printing and packaging. [4] However, PLA has a fairly simple polymer structure with little functionality, therefore limiting its applications and degradation potential. Our group has been focusing on synthesising and investigating sugar-based monomers. These are biocompatible, bio-degradable and are highly functional. By adding these sugar units into PLA, their desired properties can be incorporated to the resulting co-polymer. This poster focuses on the ring-opening co-polymerisation (ROCOP) of L-lactide with sugar-derived co-monomers. The conditions of this reaction have been optimised; varied temperatures have been investigated, along with varied co-monomer ratios. The influence of the composition of the co-polymers on thermal stability and degradation properties have been explored. References 1. Auras, R.A., et al., Poly (lactic acid): synthesis, structures, properties, processing, and applications . Vol. 10. 2011: John Wiley & Sons. Kricheldorf, H.R. and S.M. Weidner, Syntheses of polylactides by means of tin catalysts. Polymer Chemistry, 2022. 13 (12): p. 1618-1647. 2. Mohanty, A.K., et al., Sustainable polymers. Nature Reviews Methods Primers, 2022. 2 (1): p. 46. 3. Inkinen, S., et al., From Lactic Acid to Poly(lactic acid) (PLA): Characterization and Analysis of PLA and Its Precursors. Biomacromolecules, 2011. 12 (3): p. 523-532.
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