Novel synthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)

A new method for the synthesis of oligo(3-hydroxybutyrate) based on anionic ring-opening polymerization of β-butyrolactone in a highly polar aprotic solvent such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is presented. DMSO was dried over molecular sieves and used without additional purification for the polymerization of β-butyrolactone monomer by stirring in a previously flamed and argon-purged glass reactor. The polymerization process was measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) basing on the intensity of carbonyl group of the monomer at 1820 cm-1. The NMR spectra were recorded using a multinuclear spectrometer, and the gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was performed at 30°C using a gel permeation chromatograph. The use of this method enable high yield of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) because of the strong ability of solvation by the solvents.