Aminopyridine Zinc Catalysts

High activity at 100 °C

Hybrid amino/iminopyridine ligands with auxiliary phosphines enable zinc catalysts to maintain very high ring-opening polymerization activity at high temperature, rapidly producing high-molecular-weight polylactide.

Zhang, Wenjuan · Sun, Wenhua

Dalton Transactions 2026

Specifications

L-lactide conversion

{'zh': '86', 'en': '86'} %

Turnover frequency (TOF)

{'zh': '10320', 'en': '10320'} h⁻¹

Advantages

Activity retained at 100 °C

The zinc complexes sustain high polymerization rates at 100 °C, overcoming thermal deactivation.

Higher molecular weight

Catalysts with auxiliary phosphine produce PLA with higher molecular weight, beneficial for material performance.

Applications

• Biodegradable plastics synthesis：Efficiently produce polylactide to replace petroleum-based plastics.
• Polymerization catalysts：Maintain high activity at elevated temperature, shortening polymerization time.
• Medical polylactide materials：Provide high-molecular-weight polylactide with improved mechanical properties.
• Drug delivery carriers：Rapidly prepare biodegradable carrier materials.