Polymerization and Characterization of Functionalized Poly(L-Lactide)

Functional poly(L-lactide) (PLLA-OH) containing vinyl groups as well as hydroxyl end groups was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP), using stannous octanoate as the catalyst and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as the initiator. The structure of the obtained PLLA-OH was characterized using both Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy, while their crystallinities and thermo behavior were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), separately. The best condition for the ROP of the studied PLLA-OH was found with the polymerization temperature of T= 145 degrees C, the weight percent of the catalyst of 0.03 wt%, the ROP duration of 48 h and the L-lactide/initiator molar ratio of 100/1.