TY  - JOUR
A1  - Vacogne, Charlotte D.
A1  - Schlaad, Helmut
T1  - Controlled ring-opening polymerization of alpha-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides in the presence of tertiary amines
T2  - Polymer : the international journal for the science and technology of polymers
N2  - The mechanism of the primary ammonium/tertiary amine-mediated ring-opening polymerization of gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA) was investigated. Kinetic analyses revealed that the normal amine mechanism (NAM) together with a dormant-active chain end equilibrium were responsible for the controlled nature of this polymerization pathway, but that the polymerization also proceeded via the activated monomer mechanism (AMM). Mixtures of primary amines (1 equiv) and tertiary amines (0-1.5 equiv) were therefore tested to confirm the co-existence of the NAM and AMM and determine the limits for a controlled polymerization. For tertiary amine molar fractions smaller than 0.8 equiv, the reaction times were greatly reduced (compared to primary amine-initiated polymerization) without compromising the control of the reaction. Hence, the polymerization of NCA can proceed in a controlled manner even when the AMM contributes to the overall chain growth mechanism. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KW  - Ring-opening polymerization
KW  - Amino acid N-carboxyanhydride
KW  - NCA
KW  - Kinetics
KW  - Mechanism
Y1  - 2017
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/46424
SN  - 0032-3861
SN  - 1873-2291
VL  - 124
SP  - 203
EP  - 209
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Oxford
ER  -