Direct cyclodextrin-mediated ring opening polymerization of ϵ-caprolactone in the presence of yttrium trisphenolate catalyst.

Unmodified β-cyclodextrin has been directly used to initiate ring-opening polymerization of ϵ-caprolactone in the presence of yttrium trisphenolate. Well-defined cyclodextrin (CD)-centered star-shaped poly(ϵ-caprolactone)s have been successfully synthesized containing definite average numbers of arms (N(arm) = 4-6) and narrow polydispersity indexes (below 1.10). The number-average molecular weight (M(n,NMR)) and average molecular weight per arm (M(n,arm)) are controlled by the feeding molar ratio of monomer to initiator. The prepared star-PCL with M(n,NMR) of 2.7 × 10(3) is in fully amorphous and that with M(n,NMR) of 13.3 × 10(3) is crystallized. In addition, the obtained poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) stars with various molecular weights have different solubilities in methanol and tetrahydrofuran, which can be applied for further modifications.