Abstract The exponential increase in the use of plastic demands that biosourced and biodegradable polymers such as poly( l -lactide)s (PLLA)s be considered to replace some petroleum based polymers in a range of applications. In order to produce PLLA in the greenest manner, i.e. by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of l -lactide using an organocatalyst in solvent free conditions at high temperature (in bulk) has proven to be a significant challenge. Indeed, the high required temperature (180 °C) has led to poorly controlled polymerizations as a result of transesterification reactions of the PLLA backbone, racemization of the lactide monomers as well as the degradation and thus deactivation of the organocatalyst. We report herein the efforts made over the past 20 years in order to conduct the ROP of l -lactide in bulk by using organic molecules and the problems encountered by the scientific community in addressing this challenge to date.

中文翻译：

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l-丙交酯的有机催化开环聚合：一个长期存在的挑战

摘要 塑料使用的指数增长要求生物来源和可生物降解的聚合物如聚（l-丙交酯）（PLLA）被视为在一系列应用中替代一些石油基聚合物。为了以最环保的方式生产 PLLA，即通过使用有机催化剂在无溶剂条件下在高温（本体）下进行 l-丙交酯的开环聚合 (ROP) 已被证明是一项重大挑战。事实上，由于 PLLA 主链的酯交换反应、丙交酯单体的外消旋以及有机催化剂的降解和失活，所需的高温度 (180 °C) 导致聚合控制不佳。