Properties and phase separation of reaction injection molded and solution polymerized polyureas as a function of hard block content

A series of amine terminated polypropylene oxide based thermoplastic polyureas with hard segment contents of 30%, 50%, and 70 percent were synthesized via solution polymerization and reaction injection molding (RIM). Amine terminated polypropylene oxide (PPO-NH₂) of M_n = 2000 was used as the soft segment and 4,4′-diphenylme-thanediisocyanate (MDI) extended with diethyltoluenediamine (DETDA) as the hard segment. These polyureas are linear, amorphous, and phase separated. Polymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical spectroscopy (DMS), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and tensile testing. RIM polyureas had significantly lower molecular weights than solution polymerized polyureas, but their mechanical properties did not suffer, RIM polyureas have poorer phase separation than solution polyureas as evidenced by DSC, DMS, and SAXS, especially at high hard segment levels. SAXS shows phase separation levels of up to 100 percent for low hard segment polyureas and down to 10 percent for high hard segment RIM polyurea. DSC found no evidence of a hard segment glass transition, and the evidence from DMS was inconclusive. In addition to polymer characterization, demolding behavior was studied. The 30 percent hard segment was always tough and elastomeric, while the 70 percent hard segment was always very brittle. The 50 percent hard segment showed the greatest variation in properties, ranging from very brittle to very though as mold temperature and in-mold time were increased. Demold brittleness is explained by the presence of low molecular weight DETDA/MDI oligomers on demolding, which continue to react on aging.     

Effects on properties of varying the cis/trans isomer distribution in polyurethane elastomers made with 1,4-cyclohexane diisocyanate

Polyurethane elastomers have been made using 1,4-cyclohexane diisocyanate (CHDI), 1,4-butanediol (BDO) and a 2000 M_n polyether diol soft segment. The cis/trans isomer distribution of the CHDI was varied between 23% and 100% trans. This variation in isomer distribution had significant effects on the polyurethane's thermal and physical properties. Decreasidng the trans CHDI content gives polyurethanes with lower hardness, lower thermal stability, higher Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expension (C.L.T.E.) values and decreased modulus values. Morphology studies showed good phase separation between the hard and soft segment blocks as well as a block copolymer morphology between the cis and trans CHDI/BDO blocks in the hard segment. The polyurethanes made were compared to polyurethanes made with MDI and H₁₂MDI, the leading aromatic and aliphatic diisocyanates respectively.     

Catalytic Cu(II)–polymer complexes as recyclable catalysts for the synthesis of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)s in water

Water-soluble polymers comprising itaconic amide acid with acrylic acid or acrylamide, which contain carboxylic acid and amide groups capable of coordinating to the copper catalyst, were synthesized by radical polymerization using an azobisisobutyronitrile initiator. These polymers were used as polymer ligands to prepare copper complexes, which were subsequently analyzed by UV–Vis spectroscopy. The complexes were then used as catalysts for the oxidative polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol (DMP) to synthesize poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) under oxygen and in the presence of a surfactant in alkaline water. The polymerization conditions were optimized by varying the amounts of polymer ligands and copper precursors, the concentrations of surfactant and hydrogen chloride, and the temperature, resulting in PPO with a maximum yield of 93%, a number-average molecular weight (M _n) of 3700, and a molecular weight distribution (M _w/M _n) of 2.12. This yield is higher than that previously achieved using arginine ligand in water (72%). Furthermore, the optimum conditions were applied in the copolymerization of DMP and 2-allyl-6-methylphenol to obtain a thermally crosslinkable copolymer in 95% yield (M _n = 3000, M _w/M _n = 2.5). In addition, the catalyst complex of the copper–polymer ligand was recovered and reused after the polymerization of DMP. The catalyst maintained its activity even after being recycled five times, without the addition of copper precursor or polymer ligand, thereby demonstrating an environmentally friendly process wherein environmental emissions and production costs can be substantially reduced.     

Synthesis and characterization of low‐molecular‐weight poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) in water

Low‐molecular‐weight poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) (PPO) with unimodal polydispersity was synthesized by oxidative polymerization of 2,6‐dimethylphenol in the presence of Cu‐ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid catalyst in water. A series of low‐molecular‐weight PPO oligomers with M_n ranged from 360 to 3500 were obtained. It was found that the molecular weight and polydispersity were affected by reaction time, reaction temperature, and catalyst concentration. Based on the detector response‐elution volume curve and the molecular weight from gel permeation chromatography, a possible molecular weight growth mechanism was proposed. The structure and properties of low‐molecular‐weight PPO oligomers were characterized by atomic absorption spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, Ubbelohde viscometer, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Compared to the commercial low‐molecular‐weight PPO, PPO oligomers synthesized in water had a much lower residual copper content. The relationships between T_g and M_n at relatively low‐molecular weight are in good agreement with the equation proposed by Fox and Loshack. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel aliphatic polyester based on itaconic acid

A novel potentially biobased aliphatic polyester poly (butylene 2‐methylsuccinate) (PBMS) was synthesized from 1,4‐butanediol (BDO) and 2‐methylsuccinate acid (MSA) via direct esterification and polycondensation route using tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) as catalyst. The reaction conditions were investigated in detail. The proper molar ratio (1.08:1) of BDO to MSA was determined through balancing the reaction efficiency and costs of reactants. TBT was found to be an effective catalyst, and its content (0.1 mol% of MSA) was optimized based on the esterification ratio and intrinsic viscosity. The molecular weight of PBMS polymers was governed by the polycondensation time. The weight average molecular (M_w) characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) ranged from 5,800 to 8,700 g/mol. The polyester was also characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR), differential scanning calorimeter and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that the glass transition temperature continuously increased with molecular weight. The polyester had excellent thermal stability, and its decomposition temperature increased with the molecular weight. As new potentially biobased polyester plasticizer, desirable mechanical properties were achieved at the weight ratio of PBMS was 80/100 and 50/100. In addition, the PBMS/poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) blends had superior migration‐resistant property to the low‐molecular weight plasticizer dioctyl phthalate for PVC. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:2515–2521, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effects of molecular weight on liquid-crystalline behavior of a mesogen-jacketed liquid crystal polymer synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization

The synthesis of poly{2,5-bis[(4-methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene} (PMPCS) with different molecular weight and low polydispersity was achieved by atom transfer radical polymerization in methoxybenzene solution using 1-bromoethylbenzene as an initiator and CuBr/sparteine complex as a catalyst. The concentration of the living centers throughout the polymerization was found to be constant. The liquid-crystalline behavior of the polymers with M_n ranging from 3800 to 17,400 g/mol was studied using DSC and POM. Only the polymers with M_n beyond 10,200 g/mol formed a liquid-crystalline phase, which was quite stable with a high clearing point (higher than the decomposition temperature of the polymer).     

Synthesis of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) derivatives in water using water-soluble copper complex catalyst with natural ligands

Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) was synthesized by oxidative polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol (DMP) using a water-soluble copper complex catalyst under oxygen and with natural ligands in alkaline water. Arginine, guanine, adenine, cytosine, histidine, and folic acid were used as ligands for the copper complex. Arginine performed the best, with a yield of 72%, a number-average molecular weight (M_n) of 4400, and a molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n) of 1.7. It was then used to optimize reaction conditions. Surfactants, temperature, and sodium hydroxide concentration were varied in copolymerization of DMP and 2-allyl-6-methylphenol (AMP) to produce allyl-containing PPO with 77% yield (M_n = 4500; M_w/M_n = 1.8). The optimum conditions were applied to copolymerization of DMP, AMP, and bisphenol A, leading to dihydroxyl PPO analogs containing thermally cross-linkable allyl groups. The thermal properties of these thermosetting PPOs were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.     

Morphology and properties of thermoplastic polyurethanes with dangling chains in ricinoleate-based soft segments

In our previous publication on the structure-property behavior of segmented polyurethanes based on castor oil [Petrovi? ZS, Xu Y, Zhang W. Polymer Preprints 2007;48(2):852-3.], the results showed that these materials which possessed a soft segment weight concentration (SSC) of 70% have both low tensile strength and elongation at break. This behavior is distinctly different from segmented polyurethanes of comparable soft segment content obtained from petrochemical polymeric diols that possess terminal hydroxyl groups. The poor elastic properties of these segmented polyurethanes were ascribed to the low molecular weight of the polymers as well as due to the presence of the six-carbon “dangling chain”, which may influence the morphology of the resulting segmented polyurethanes. To further understand this behavior, four segmented polyurethanes with the SSC of 70, 60, 50, and 40%, respectively, were synthesized from a polyricinoleate diol with an M_n of 2580, diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and butanediol. The objective of this work was to study the effect of SSC on the morphology of the resulting polyurethanes, and to correlate the morphology with the properties of these bio-based segmented polyurethanes. Polymers were characterized by GPC, viscometry and spectroscopic methods. Thermal and mechanical properties of the polymers indicated good microphase separation. Microphase morphology was also noted by SAXS and AFM. Finally, “spherulitic-like” superstructures were noted in the solution cast films that are believed to arise from the nucleation and crystallization of the hard segments.     

Homogeneous neodymium iso-propoxide/modified methylaluminoxane catalyst for isoprene polymerization

The neodymium iso-propoxide [Nd(Oi-Pr)₃] catalyst activated by modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) is homogeneous and effective in isoprene polymerization in heptane to provide polymers with high molecular weight (M_n∼10⁵), narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n=1.1-2.0) and mainly cis-1,4 structure (82-93%). The polymer yield increased with increasing [Al]/[Nd] ratio (50-300 mole ratio) and polymerization temperature (0-60 °C), while the molecular weight and cis-1,4 content decreased. On the other hand, the same catalyst resulted in relatively low polymer yield and low molecular weight in toluene. The cyclized polyisoprene was formed in dichloromethane, which is attributable to the cationic active species derived from MMAO alone. When chlorine sources (Et₂AlCl, t-BuCl, Me₃SiCl) were added, the cis-1,4 stereoregularity of polymer improved up to 95% even at a high temperature of 60 °C, though the polymer yield decreased.     

Effects of soft-segment prepolymer functionality on structure-property relations in RIM copolyurethanes

Segmented copolyurethanes comprising 40-60% by weight of polyurethane hard segments (HS) and polyether soft-segment (SS) with different functionalities (SS-f_n), have been formed by reaction injection moulding (RIM). The HS were formed from 4,4′ diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) reacted with ethane diol (ED). The three SS-prepolymers used were all hydroxyl-functionalised poly(oxypropylene-b-oxyethylene)s with different nominal functionalities (f_n) of 2, 3 and 4 but with a constant molar mass per functional group of ∼2000 g mol⁻¹. RIM materials were characterised using differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, tensile stress-strain and single-edge notch fracture studies. Predictions using a statistical model of the RIM-copolymerisation showed that increasing SS-f_n lead to more rapid development of copolymer molar mass with isocyanate conversion. Experimentally, the RIM-PU exhibited a wide range of mechanical behaviour resulting from differences in molecular and morphological structures. Increasing SS-f_n produced materials with improved mould release behaviour and fracture resistance. However, increasing SS-f_n also reduced the degree of phase separation developed in the copolyurethanes, resulting in increased modulus-temperature dependence and poorer tensile properties.     

Effect of crosslinking density on resilient performance of low‐resilience flexible polyurethane foams

Low‐resilience flexible polyurethane foams (FPUFs) with varying crosslinking densities, were synthesized from polyols, 4, 4′‐diphenyl methane diisocyanate (MDI‐100), and water. The effects of crosslinking agent content, the molecular weight (M_w) of polyether diol, and the ratio of (polyether triol)/(polyether diol) on the resilience performance of FPUFs were investigated. Results indicate that higher crosslinking density was beneficial to the increasing of recovery time. The recovery time of the FPUF using polyether diol with M_w of 400 was 24.3 s. It was 3.2 times longer compared with FPUF using polyether diol with M_w of 3000. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results showed that, FPUFs with high crosslinking density displayed viscoelasticity in a wider range of temperature. However, when molecular chains were longer enough, FPUFs with low crosslinking density also demonstrated significant viscoelasticity, which is owing to the excess of physical crosslinking points. The results in stress–strain cycling and recovery time experiments were consistent with the results of DMA. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:308–315, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

聚氨酯快速(RIM)聚合的绝热反应动力学

用环氧乙烷封端的聚环氧丙烷聚醚二元醇与4,4’-二苯基甲烷二异氰酸酯(MDI)或液化改性的MDI(L-MDI)进行快速本体聚合,比较了二月桂酸二丁基锡(DBTDL)、辛酸亚锡(SnOct)、硫醇锡(UL-29)以及相应的几种锡/胺体系在绝热条件下的催化活性.用非线性优化方法求取了反应动力学参数值.结果表明,在绝热条件下本体聚合的反应活化能为130～170kJ/mol,每当量NCO官能团的反应热为61～72kJ.催化剂的活性顺序为:SnOct>DBTDL>UL-29和BDTDL/DABCO(三乙烯二胺)>UL-29/DABCO>Snoct/DABCO.反应总级数为2级,催化剂种类的变化对反应总级数基本上无影响.     

Polymerization of vinyl ethers using titanium catalysts containing tridentate triamine ligand of the type N[CH2CH(Ph)(Ts)N]2

Titanium complexes having tridentate triamine of the type N[CH₂CH(Ph)(Ts)N]₂²⁻ in combination with methylaluminoxane (MAO) was able to polymerize ethyl vinyl ether in good yields. The polymers obtained in general were having molecular weight in the order of 10⁵ with narrow molecular weight distributions. Polymerization conditions had an impact on the molecular weight and the polydispersity index (PDI). Using chlorobenzene as the solvent the polymer had an M_n of 350?000 and PDI of 1.21, where as under neat conditions the M_n was 255?000 with PDI of 1.21. The type of solvent and the temperature dictated the polymerization rate and the polymer stereo regularity. The molecular weight of the polymer is distinctly governed by the polymerization temperature. Temperature ranging between −50 and ambient (30 °C) resulted in high molecular weight polymers and vice versa at a temperature of 60-70 °C resulted in low molecular weight polymers in moderate yields. The polymers obtained below 30 °C are highly stereo-regular compared to that of the ones produced at and above ambient temperature. The polymerization of iso-butyl vinyl ether (IBVE) was faster than that of linearly substituted n-butyl vinyl ether (BVE) and less bulky ethyl vinyl ether (EVE). The order of isotacticities of the polymers obtained are polyIBVE > polyBVE > polyEVE. The use of borate cocatalyst for activation generated narrow molecular weight polymers with a linear increase in the yield and molecular weight over time suggesting the living nature of the catalyst system.     

Total replacement of solvent in polyurethane synthesis using carbon dioxide soluble 1,3‐dichlorodistannoxane catalysts

This work demonstrates catalytic synthesis of polyurethanes using 1,3‐dichlorodistannoxane catalysts ( 1 ) in carbon dioxide (CO₂) and carbon dioxide expanded liquids (CXL). Catalytic polyurethane synthesis was also performed in pure organic solvent (dimethylformamide) for comparison. In this study, mainly, 4, 4′‐methylene‐bis‐(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI) as the diisocyanate precursor and ethylene glycol (EG) as the diol precursor were used for polyurethane synthesis. In addition to MDI, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and p‐isocyanatobenzylisocyanate (PIBI) were also used for polyurethane synthesis with different diols or triol in CO₂. Polyurethanes with a molecular weight ranging from 3000 to 70,000 were synthesized depending upon the combination of diisocyanate and diol used. Comparable yields of polyurethanes were obtained using an all butyl group substituted ( 1a ) catalyst in CO₂ (55 bars, 50°C) and in DMF (50°C). Additionally, the yield and polydispersity index (PDI) of polymer formed in neat CO₂ was comparable with those synthesized in the largely used organic solvent DMF. Interestingly, catalyst 1a in CXL (55 bars, 50°C) gave higher yields, and polymers with lower PDI (1.19). Reactions carried out in scCO₂ at 145 bars using PIBI and EG were found to be about three times faster than the reaction carried out in DMF. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Syntheses and characterization of novel biostable polyisobutylene based thermoplastic polyurethanes

The synthesis of polyisobutylene (PIB) based thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) with enhanced mechanical properties have been accomplished using poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO) as a compatibilizer. PIB TPUs with Shore 60-100 A hardness were prepared by employing PIB diols (hydroxyallyl telechelic PIBs) for the soft segment and 4,4′-methylenebis(phenylisocyanate) (MDI) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO) for the hard segment. The TPUs exhibited number average molecular weight (M_n) in the range of 83,000-110,000 g/mol with polydispersity indices (PDIs) = 1.8-3.1. These TPUs, however, were inferior compared to commercial TPUs such as Pellethane™ (Dow Chemical Co.) as they exhibited low tensile strength (6-15 MPa) and/or ultimate elongation (30-400%). Processing of the harder compositions was also difficult and some could not be compression molded into flat sheets for testing. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) showed the presence of high melting (≥200 °C) crystalline hard segments suggesting longer - MDI-BDO - sequences than expected based on the stoichiometry. Easily processable TPUs with excellent mechanical properties (tensile strength up to 40 MPa, ultimate elongation up to 740%) were obtained by incorporating PTMO in the soft segment. Examination of PIB-PTMO TPUs with varying hard: soft compositions (20:80, 35:65 and 40:60 wt:wt) and Shore hardness (60 A, 80 A and 95 A) indicated that substituting 10-30 wt% of PIB diol with PTMO diol is sufficient to reach mechanical properties similar to Pellethanes.     

Influence of the molecular weight of PPO resins and char-forming behavior of polymeric additives on the flame retardancy of EPDM formulations

The influence of the molecular weight of poly(2,6-dimethylphenylene oxide) (PPO) on the flame retardancy of ethylene–propylene–diene-modified elastomer (EPDM) formulations containing melamine, kaolin, and PPO formulations was studied. The influence of the molecular structures of various char-forming polymers on their flame-retardant effect was also investigated. PPO resins having number-average molecular weight (M_n) from 3200 to 24,800 and weight-average molecular weight (M_w) 9000 to 58,400 affected the oxygen index (OI) values and UL 94 ratings of EPDM formulations, and the preferable molecular weight was found to be about M_n 13,300 and M_w 29,200. Among the char-forming polymeric additives studied, PPO was most effective in providing flame retardancy. The concept of char-forming rate is proposed to explain the variation in the observed flame retardancy. Higher char-forming rate (in contrast to char yield) correlated well with higher OI and better UL 94 ratings in these systems. The melting-before-charring character of char-forming polymers was another important factor that appeared to control char morphology and thus flame retardancy. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67:1405–1414, 1998     

The effect of crosslinking on properties of polyurethane elastomers

A series of segmented polyurethanes from two polyols, 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and butane diol was synthesized. The degree of chemical crosslinking was controlled by varying the ratio of poly(oxypropylene) diol to poly(oxypropylene/oxyethylene) triol. The samples were prepared at the stoichiometric ratio of NCO to OH groups and at a constant concentration of hard segments (butane diol; MDI) equal 50 wt %. At low concentrations of the triol the molecular weight of the polyurethanes increases; at higher concentrations (above 9 mol %) crosslinked products are obtained. All samples show a distinct two-phase structure and in the region of 0–150°C the dynamic mechanical behavior is affected by the hard phase. Chemical crosslinking was found to increase the tensile strength and strain at break, but did not affect appreciably the tear strength, hardness, and soft segment glass transition. The stress relaxation rate at room temperature was found to depend both on the elongation and on the degree of crosslinking. A comparison of the sol fractions w_s found for crosslinked samples with the predictions of the theory of branching processes proved that the achieved conversions of reactive groups in networks are high (～ 0.98).     

An activated neodymium‐based catalyst for styrene polymerization

Coordination polymerization of styrene with a ternary catalyst system composed of catalyst neodymium tricarboxylate (Nd), co‐catalyst Al(i‐Bu)₃ (Al) and chlorinating agent trichloroethane (Cl) was carried out in cyclohexane. The effects of the catalyst system preparation procedure and of the reaction conditions on catalytic activity, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the resultant polymers were investigated. The catalytic activity depended mainly on the molar ratios of Al/Nd and of Cl/Nd and on the ageing temperature and polymerization temperature. High polymerization conversion and high catalytic activity could be obtained at high Al/Nd ratios and/or at high ageing temperature. The catalyst system exhibited high activity of 8.32 × 10⁴ g polystyrene (mol Nd h)^?1 at 50 °C. The molecular weight of the polymers obtained reached high weight‐average (M_w) values (M_w = 4.35 × 10⁵ g mol^?1) when Al/Nd = 8, but relatively low values (6000–11 000 g mol^?1) at high Al/Nd ratios. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Differential scanning calorimetry analysis of morphological changes in segmented elastomers

Investigations of morphological changes which are induced in segmented elastomers by annealing and quenching are reported. Four different polymers were studied each based on the same soft segment—1000 or 2000 molecular weight poly(tetramethylene oxide). The hard segments were 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) chain extended with 1,4-butane diol (ET series), piperazine coupled with 1,4-butane diol bischloroformate (BN-1,4), or dimethyl terephthalate condensed with 1,4-butane diol (H-50). Following annealing at various temperatures (120, 150, 170, or 190°C), the polymers were quenched to ambient conditions, and their properties measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as a function of time following the quench. DSC measurements taken immediately after the quench show that the soft segment T_g is higher than that of the control, suggesting that the applied thermal history promoted increased mixing of hard and soft segments. As time passes after quenching, the T_g values decrease and approach an equilibrium value. This effect is much smaller for those samples having crystalline hard segments. Endotherms attributed to the disruption of long range ordering in the hard segment domains resulted from the annealing process. These endotherms appeared at higher temperatures for higher annealing temperatures. The positions of crystalline melting endotherms were independent of the annealing/quenching conditions investigated.     

Optimization of controlled ring-opening polymerization of <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-lactide to hydroxyl terminated polylactides using zinc acetate catalyst

Hydroxyl terminated polylactide polymers with number of average molecular weights (M _n ) varying from 1625 to 3459 g mol^?1 were synthesized by ring opening bulk polymerization of lactide in the presence of zinc acetate being a potent catalyst. The use of 1,4 butanediol (BDO) initiator leads to hydroxyl terminated polylactides, thus excellent precursors for shape-memory biodegradable polyurethanes. Different reaction conditions employed for the synthesis of hydroxyl terminated polylactide polymers via activated monomer mechanism may result in differences in M _n , percentage mass conversion and percentage degree of crystallinity (%χ _c ) of the product. Influence of process parameters, i.e. catalyst concentration, initiator concentration, reaction temperature and time on characteristics of hydroxyl terminated polylactides was studied. These polymers were characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. FTIR and ¹H-NMR confirmed the formation of hydroxyl terminated polylactides. M _n was determined by ¹H-NMR, GPC and end group analysis. %χ _c was calculated from XRD spectra. Maximum mass conversion, M _n and %χ _c were observed at 5 mol% SnOct₂ and 5 mol% BDO concentration. At optimum temperature of 145 °C, these characteristics improved linearly with polymerization time up to 6 h and declined thereafter.