Novel catalyst-solvent system for high molecular weight polylactic acid synthesis via azeotropic solution polycondensation method

ABSTRACT

Polycondensation for PLA synthesis is widely used due to its cost-effectiveness, but it often leads to low molecular weight PLA. To address this limitation, researchers have explored different catalysts, with the stannous chloride and p-toluene sulfonic acid combination being a popular choice. However, this method typically yields PLA with a MW of no more than 35000 g/mol, which is unsuitable for commercial applications. In contrast, ring-opening polymerization is considered the most effective method for synthesizing high MW PLA, despite its complexity and cost. Industrial-scale production predominantly employs ROP due to its capability to produce high MW PLA. The use of stannous octoate as a catalyst for ROP has shown promise in synthesizing higher MW PLA. However, its sensitivity to water limits its use in polycondensation, where stannous chloride is commonly employed but is not capable of synthesizing high MW PLA. This study explores the use of stannous octoate for the synthesis of high MW PLA with higher yield.

KEYWORDS:

• Polylactic acid
• solution polycondensation
• azeotropic polycondensation
• stannous octoate

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time due to legal or ethical reasons.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Directorate of Research & Innovation (DRI), Nirma University under Grant of Minor Research Project (MRP), [UID no: ITNU/2024-2025/107].