Abstract
A biocompatible zinc (II) complex based on a tetradentate N,N,O,O-type salen ligand was synthesized, characterized and used for the solvent-free ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of L-lactide in bulk at 180 °C to prepare high molecular weight poly(L-lactide) (Mn: 82,600 Da; Mw: 140,000 Da; PDI: 1.70). Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) was characterized using FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, GPC, TGA, DSC, WAXD, and MALDI-ToF. Kinetic measurement was carried out and first-order behavior to monomer was observed. The kapp was found as 6 ± 0.001 × 10−4 s−1. The biocompatibility of the PLLA was confirmed by in vitro cytotoxicity against NIH/3T3 fibroblast cell line and can be used in biomedical applications.
Disclosure statement
The authors declared no potential conflict of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.