Microwave‐assisted ring‐opening polymerization of p‐dioxanone

The ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of p‐dioxanone (PDO) under microwave irradiation with triethylaluminum (AlEt3) or tin powder as catalyst was investigated. When the ROP of PDO was catalyzed by AlEt3, the viscosity‐average molecular weight (Mv) of poly(p‐dioxanone) (PPDO) reached 317,000 g mol−1 only in 30 min, and the yield of PPDO achieved 96.0% at 80 °C. Tin powder was successfully used as catalyst for synthesizing PPDO by microwave heating, and PPDO with Mv of 106,000 g mol−1 was obtained at 100 °C in 210 min. Microwave heating accelerated the ROP of PDO catalyzed by AlEt3 or tin powder, compared with the conventional heating method.