The present invention relates to a process for the ring-opening
polymerization of glycolide using a novel initiator. A
polymerization system is composed of glycolide, a catalyst, and an initiator. The initiator contains hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups and heteroatoms such as
sulfur and
nitrogen. While
metal ions in traditional catalysts catalyze
polymerization, they will complex with the
oxygen atoms of ester bonds to catalyze the cleavage of the ester bonds of
polyglycolide (PGA), resulting in a decrease in the molecular weight of PGA and an increase in the
chromaticity of the product. The heteroatoms contained in the novel initiator of the present invention have a strong complexing ability with metals, can form a relatively stable
coordination complex with the catalyst, prevent the cleavage of PGA, and reduce the
chromaticity of the product. In addition, the addition of this novel initiator introduces some flexible chain segments, lowers the
freezing point of PGA, and enables the polymerization temperature to be reduced. Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the advantages of high product molecular weight, relatively uniform molecular
weight distribution, large operation flexibility in the polymerization reaction time, and wide
temperature control window, and is suitable for industrial production.