Polymers of ε-Caprolactone Using New Copper(II) and Zinc(II) Complexes as Initiators: Synthesis, Characterization and X-Ray Crystal Structures

Abstract

Five of six new Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes were active in the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (CL) under solvent-free conditions, producing polycaprolactones (PCLs) of high crystallinity with molecular weights between 22,900 and 38,700 g mol−1 and decomposition temperatures above 260 °C. 1H NMR analysis demonstrated that the PCLs obtained were mainly linear, having hydroxymethylene groups at the chain ends. The results obtained indicated a significant improvement in terms of the ratio of monomer:initiator compared to related Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes. In addition, the structures of the complexes 1 and 4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The synthesis and full characterization of all complexes are described in this paper.