The ring-opening homopolymerizations of trimethylene carbonate and 2,2-dimethyltrimethylene carbonate

Biodegradable poly (trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) and poly (2, 2-dimethyltrimethylene carbonate) (PDTC) appear to be very promising in controlled drug delivery and other biomedical technology applications. In contrast to aliphatic polyesters, detrimental acidic compounds are not released upon degradation of PTMC and PDTC. PTMC and PDTC can be prepared by ring-opening homopolymerizations of trimethylene carbonate ( TMC) and 2, 2-dimethyltrimethylene carbonate ( DTC) respectively. In this paper, different kinds of catalysts or initiators and polymerization mechanisms for the ning-opening homopolymerizations of TMC and DTC are summarized. The recent progress in the research of novel catalysts for the TMC and DTC homopolymerizations is reviewed. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of biocompatible catalysts, such as rare earth catalysts, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe catalysts, and enzyme catalysts, for the ring-opening homopolymerizations of TMC and DTC are discussed.