Efficient Copolymerization of Methyl Methacrylate and Lactide Using Metalate Catalysts

The development of catalysts that are both robust and highly active at room temperature can often be seen as a major challenge in anionic polymerization. However, these properties are desirable for polymer synthesis because they allow for easy and sustainable production of interesting materials. Here, iron and magnesium complexes are used to form in situ generated metalate complexes that are shown to be highly active in the room temperature copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and lactide. Their ability to form homopolymers and block copolymers of poly(methyl methacrylate) and polylactide shows that they are more stable than their organolithium counterparts and also more active than the neutral complexes from which they are derived.