Modeling of Ring Opening Polymerization: A short review with insights on how to develop the method of moments

Polyesters produced from cyclic monomers, including polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), are widely used in different applications, ranging from household items to medical implants. These polymers can be produced by various processes, but ring-opening polymerization (ROP) occupies an important position. In this sense, ROP represents the foremost route used by both academia and industry to synthesize these polymers. In this review, we discuss the synthesis of PLA, PCL, PBT and some of their copolymers by ROP, focusing on polymerization kinetics and molecular weight control. We also revisit the most representative deterministic mathematical models for ROP to produce these polymers. We formulate a step-by-step guide on how to combine the method of moments in modeling the synthesis of polymers by ROP, including details on how to handle multiple summations in the system of Ordinary Differential Equations generated from the modeling. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)