Chain shuttling copolymerization of cyclic esters, an access to new PLA-based multiblock copolymers – PLANAVETTE

Chain shuttling copolymerization, where the growing macromolecular chain is able to shuttle between two different catalysts, is a process which allows access to original macromolecular multiblock structures, in particular thermoplastic elastomers. It has so far mainly been developed on apolar monomers such as olefins and conjugated dienes. The objective of this project is to carry out the chain shuttling copolymerization of lactides with lactones by ring-opening polymerization in order to access to new multiblock microstructures based on polylactide, a bio-based polymer available on the market, but whose application spectrum is suffering of its fragility. The project aims to develop two types of new materials by this process, a polylactide reinforced by an elastomeric phase covalently linked to the macromolecular skeleton, and a new type of polylactide based multiblock thermoplastic elastomer.