用密度泛函理论在B3LYP/6—31G(d)水平上研究了双官能团硫脲催化丙交酯开环聚合反应的微观机理.讨论了催化聚合反应的两条可能路径:路径A和路径B.计算结果表明沿路径A进行的开环聚合反应在能量上是有利的.从理论上证实了催化剂在聚合反应中所起的双官能团催化作用,即氨基活化引发剂,硫脲活化单体,通过两个基团共同作用,完成催化开环.
The Ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of D-lactide (D-LA) catalyzed by bifunctional thiourea catalyst has been studied by performing density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. Two pathways (A and B) for the catalyzed ROP of D-LA have been characterized in detail. It has been found that path A is much more favorable in energy than path B. The calculated results indicate that the catalyst promotes the ROP of D-lactide by bifunctional activation of the carbonyl of LA monomer and of the initiating/propagating alcohol via hydrogen bonding to the thiourea group and to the Bronsted basic (tertiary amino) group, respectively. The calculated results provide a general model that explains the mechanism of the title reaction.