Ring-opening polymerization history

Polylactides, 18 Poly lactones, 18, 43 Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), 22, 41, 42 preparation of, 99-100 Polymer age, 1 Polymer architecture, 6-9 Polymer chains, nonmesogenic units in, 52 Polymer Chemistry (Stevens), 5 Polymeric chiral catalysts, 473-474 Polymeric materials, history of, 1-2 Polymeric MDI (PMDI), 201, 210, 238 Polymerizations. See also Copolymerization Depolymerization Polyesterification Polymers Prepolymerization Repolymerization Ring-opening polymerization Solid-state polymerization Solution polymerization Solvent-free polymerization Step-grown polymerization processes Vapor-phase deposition polymerization acid chloride, 155-157 ADMET, 4, 10, 431-461 anionic, 149, 174, 177-178 batch, 167 bulk, 166, 331 chain-growth, 4 continuous, 167, 548 coupling, 467 Friedel-Crafts, 332-334 Hoechst, 548 hydrolytic, 150-153 influence of water content on, 151-152, 154... 

In addition to step and chain polymerizations, another mode of polymerization is of importance. This is the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic monomers such as cyclic ethers, esters (lactones), amides (lactams), and siloxanes. Examples of commercially important types are given in Table 10.1. Of those listed, only the polyalkenes are composed solely of carbon chains. Those that have enjoyed the longest history of commercial exploitation are polyethers prepared from three-membered ring cyclic ethers (epoxides), polyamides from cyclic amides (lactams), and polysiloxanes from cyclic siloxanes. 

G. Lanciano, A. Greco, A. Maffezzoli and L. Mascia, Effects of thermal history in the ring opening polymerization of CBT and its mixtures with montmo-rillonite on the crystallization of the resulting polyfbutylene terephthalate), Thermochim. Acta, 493 61-67,2009. 

Since polycondensations of aa -t- b monomers have a much longer history, their description and discussion will be presented first. Syntheses of hb polymers from abn monomers will be discussed in Chap. 11. To avoid misunderstandings, it should be emphasized that the text of both Chaps. 10 and 11, is limited to true polycondensation processes. Synthses of hb polymers based on addition-polymerizations, ring-opening polymerizations, or stepwise construction of dendrimers are not considered. 

---