Sebastian Sinnwell

Ultrafast click conjugation of macromolecular building blocks at ambient temperature.

Block copolymers in seconds: Catalyst-free, ambient-temperature click conjugation of individual polymer strands becomes possible using novel ATRP-derived cyclopentadienyl-capped polymers in an extremely rapid hetero-Diels-Alder cycloaddition with macromolecules equipped with electron-deficient dithioester end groups prepared by the RAFT process.

Recent Advances in Microwave-Assisted Polymer Synthesis

In the past few years the use of microwave irradiation in polymer science has become a well-established technique to drive and promote chemical reactions. The main advantages of microwave heating are a strong reduction in reaction time and a high potential to contribute to green and sustainable chemistry. This article provides a short review of recent examples in the field of microwave-assisted polymer synthesis with special emphasis on radical polymerizations, step-growth polymerizations, ring-opening polymerizations, and polymer modifications.

Lipase Catalyzed Chemoselective Ring‐Opening Polymerization of ϵ‐Caprolactone in Presence of γ‐Hydroxy‐α‐methylenebutyric Acid

The ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of ϵ‐caprolactone (CL) using γ‐hydroxy‐α‐methylenebutyric acid (HMBA) as the initiator was studied. The use of stannous octoate (Sn(Oct)2) and Novozym 435 (Lipase B from Candida Antarctica) as catalysts was compared. Under enzymatic conditions, poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) with well‐defined end group functionalization was obtained. In contrast, under Sn(Oct)2 catalysis, the lactonization of HMBA was observed as a side reaction which lead to an insufficient end group functionalization of the prepared polyesters.