• • AKRP enables synthesis of stereoregular chiral polyesters from racemic monomers, achieving high tacticity and crystallinity, which correlate with enhanced thermal and mechanical properties (e.g., higher melting points and tensile strength) compared to atactic polymers.
• • The kinetic resolution coefficient (k_rel) and selectivity factor (s-factor) are critical quantitative metrics; for example, s-factors above 20 indicate high enantioselectivity, enabling efficient production of isotactic polymers with >99% enantiomeric excess (ee) in some cases.
• • Catalyst innovations, including bifunctional thiourea and iminophosphorane systems, have achieved isoselective ring-opening polymerization of rac-lactide with s-factors up to 50 and monomer conversion rates exceeding 90%, demonstrating industrial viability.
• • AKRP-derived polymers exhibit chemical recyclability, allowing depolymerization back to monomers with high purity (e.g., >95% recovery), thus supporting circular economy goals and reducing plastic waste.