PhD Defense of Xavier Mosca

The defense will take place on the 5th of November, at 2pm in the amphitheater CERLA.
The title of the thesis is: « Aluminium amino(bis)phenolate complexes for chain-shuttling copolymerization of cyclic esters: structure / catalyst nature / copolymer thermal properties relationship »

The jury of my defense is composed of:

• Dr. Samuel DAGORNE, Rapporteur, DR. CNRS Université de Strasbourg
• Dr. Christophe BOISSON, Rapporteur, DR. CNRS Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
• Dr. Christophe FLIEDEL, Membre, CR. CNRS Université de Toulouse
• Prof. Lydie PELINSKI, Membre, Prof. Université de Lille
• Prof. Philippe Zinck, Directeur de thèse, Prof. Université de Lille
• Dr. Fanny BONNET, Co-Directrice de thèse, DR CNRS Université de Lille

Key words :

Polylactide, Poly(ε-caprolactone), Chain Shuttling coPolymerization, Aluminium Catalyst, Homogenous Catalysis, Multiblock Copolymer, Amino(bis)phenolate Ligand

Summary :

Chain Shuttling coPolymerization (CSP) is an innovative methodology that enables the one-pot one-step synthesis of multiblock copolymers. Initially developed for the coordinative polymerization of olefins and conjugated dienes, it has recently been applied to the ring-opening copolymerization of cyclic esters.

The objective of this thesis is the development of new aluminium-based (co-)polymerization catalysts that finely tune the microstructure of the lactide-lactone multiblock copolymers, thereby modifying their thermal properties. These complexes, with different side chains, allowed the adjustment of their reactivity and selectivity for the statistical (co-)polymerization of L-lactide (L-LA) and ε-caprolactone (ε-CL).

Nine new catalytic systems capable of performing CSP of L-LA and ε-CL were developed by combining L-LA-selective complexes with those more selective for ε-CL. This allowed significant modulation of the thermal properties of the resulting multiblock copolymers, depending on the catalyst combinations and reaction conditions. Furthermore, a CSP through transalkoxylation between two metals, yttrium and aluminium, was successfully carried out for the first time, thereby expanding the potential applications of this methodology.

After the defense, a get-together party will follow at 12h30