Synthesis of Poly(isosorbide carbonate) via Melt Polycondensation Catalyzed by a KF/MgO Catalyst

MgO loaded with KF was prepared by using tlie impregnation method and was employed as the catalyst for tlie direct traiisesterification of diphenyl carbonate(DPC) witli isosorbide to synthesize high-molecular-weight poly(isosorbide carbonate)(PIC). The relationship between physical-chemical properties and catalytic performance for KF/MgO in this melt process was investigated by various characterization techniques. The basic site amount and strength were found to be responsible for this transesterification process, and the medium and strong basic sites tended to promote the polycondensation reaction. 20-KF/Mg0-500 exhibited the best catalytic performance, giving PIC with Mw of 84200 and glass transition temperature(rg) of 173℃ under optimal conditions. Additionally, 20-KF/MgO-500 was found to catalyze the transerification of DPC with isosorbide and other diols to syntliesize the corresponding poly(aliphatic diol-co-isosorbide carbonate)s(PAICs). This excellent activity can be ascribed to the presence of an abundance of basic sites and their specific basic strength on the surface of KF/MgO.     

Preparation of macrodiols and polyols by chopping high‐molecular‐weight aliphatic polycarbonates

High‐molecular‐weight poly(1,4‐butylene carbonate) (PBC) (M_n: 40,000?90,000) was prepared through the condensation polymerization of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and 1,4‐butanediol (BD) in the presence of 0.05 mol % sodium alkoxide catalyst. The subsequent feeding of 15 mol % HOAOH, such as 1,6‐hexanediol, 1,5‐pentanediol, 1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol, or 1,4‐benzenedimethanol and stirring at 190–150 °C converted the extremely thick high‐molecular‐weight polymer to low‐molecular‐weight macrodiols with GPC‐measured M_n ～2000. The analysis of the ¹H NMR spectra indicated that the –A– units and 1,4‐butylene units were randomly distributed in the resulting oligomers. The chopping of the high‐molecular‐weight PBC using either triols or tetraols such as glycerol propoxylate, 1,1,1‐tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane, or pentaerythritol also afforded macropolyols containing branched chains with GPC‐measured M_n ～2000. When the chopped polymers were genuine PBCs, the resulting macrodiols or polyols were in a waxy state at room temperature. However, permanently oily compounds were obtained when the chopped polymers were prepared using 0.90 mole fraction of BD admixed with various other diols. The macrodiols and polyols synthesized in this study may have potential applications in the polyurethane industry. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1570–1580     

Double metal cyanide catalyst prepared using H3Co(CN)6 for high carbonate fraction and molecular weight control in carbon dioxide/propylene oxide copolymerization

Simple mixing of H₃Co(CN)₆ and ZnCl₂ in methanol resulted in precipitates of [ZnCl]⁺₂[HCo(CN)₆]^2?, constituting a new type of double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst exhibiting a high performance in carbon dioxide (CO₂)/propylene oxide (PO) copolymerization. High‐molecular‐weight poly(propylene carbonate‐co‐propylene oxide)s [poly(PC‐co‐PO)s] (M_n～40,000) were consistently obtained with high carbonate fractions (～60 mol %) and a high selectivity (>95%) with the new type of DMC catalyst. Conventional preparation of the DMC catalyst using K₃Co(CN)₆ and ZnCl₂ required removing KCl through thorough washing and resulted in lower carbonate fractions (10–40 mol %), which depended on the washing conditions. Feeding hydrophobic diols such as 1,10‐decanediol as chain transfer agent preserved the high carbonate fraction (～60%) and enabled precise control of the molecular weight, including preparation of a low‐molecular‐weight poly(PC‐co‐PO)‐diol (M_n ～2000), which was a flowing viscous liquid with a low T_g (?30 °C) suitable for polyurethane applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4811–4818     

季铵类离子液体催化熔融缩聚反应合成异山梨醇基聚碳酸酯

聚碳酸酯是一种性能优良的工程塑料,具有优异的透明性、绝缘性及无毒性等优点.目前实现大规模工业生产的是双酚A型聚碳酸酯,但是其生产原料双酚A具有毒性,限制了其应用.异山梨醇是一种生物基可再生单体,具有无毒、手性和刚性等特性,是双酚A的理想替代品.但是异山梨醇亲水性强,且羟基的活性低,导致碳酸二苯酯和异山梨醇通过熔融缩聚反应合成异山梨醇基聚碳酸酯(PIC)困难,因此选用合适的催化剂成为一个重要因素.目前报道的效果较好的催化剂是无机碱催化剂,这类催化剂催化活性差,容易引发副反应,在产品中残留影响产品质量.离子液体具有环境友好和阴阳离子可设计等优点,是无机碱催化剂的良好替代品.本文设计合成了六种季铵类的碱性离子液体(四乙铵二氰胺盐、四乙铵咪唑盐、四乙铵乳酸盐、四乙铵-1,2,4-三氮唑盐、四乙铵苯甲酸盐和四乙铵乙酸盐),用于催化熔融缩聚反应合成PIC.用核磁共振表征了PIC的结构,用凝胶色谱测定了PIC的分子量,通过对比PIC的重均分子量(Mw)和异山梨醇的转化率,研究了离子液体阴离子对催化剂活性的影响.发现催化活性不仅与离子液体的碱性强弱有关,还与离子液体阴离子的配位强度有关,催化效果最好的离子液体为四乙铵咪唑盐(TEAI).以TEAI为催化剂对合成PIC的条件进行了优化,得到的最优条件为:催化剂与异山梨醇的摩尔比为5×10-4,缩聚时间为5 h,缩聚温度为240 oC.合成PIC的Mw为25600 g/mol,异山梨醇的转化率为92%.由于均聚物PIC分子链刚性大,导致PIC熔体粘度大,不利于聚合,为了降低PIC的刚性和提高分子量,在分子链中引入了柔性基团(脂肪族二醇)来合成共聚碳酸酯(PAIC).以TEAI为催化剂,异山梨醇和脂肪族二醇投料摩尔比为1:1,通过熔融缩聚反应合成了PAICs.利用1H NMR和13C NMR详细表征了PAICs化学组成和微观结构,发现不同脂肪族二醇的羟基活性不同,合成的PAICs分子链中异山梨醇和脂肪族二醇的比例与投料比有所差异,得到的共聚物为无规共聚物.此外,对PAICs进行了凝胶色谱测试,发现PAICs的Mw与PIC相比均有所提高.通过差示扫描量热仪和热重分析仪对PIC和PAICs进行了热稳定性测试.结果表明,对于不同直链二醇制备的PAICs,随着二醇链中亚甲基数量的增加,其玻璃化转变温度(Tg)逐渐降低,但热稳定性逐渐提高;而对于用1,4-环己烷二甲醇合成的PCIC,其Tg值和热稳定性明显高于直链脂肪族二醇共聚物.这些性能为共聚碳酸酯用作高性能聚合材料提供了可能性.     

Palladium on carbon‐catalyzed direct C—H arylation polycondensation of 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene with various dibromoarenes

We have demonstrated a direct arylation polycondensation of 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene with 2,7‐dibromo‐9,9‐dioctylfluorene using palladium on carbon (Pd/C) as a catalyst. Pd/C is a low‐cost solid‐supported palladium catalyst, giving one of the effective catalytic systems for direct arylation. The Pd/C‐catalyzed direct arylation polycondensation with acetic acid/potassium carbonate in N,N‐dimethylacetamide furnished a high molecular weight π‐conjugated alternating copolymer of EDOT‐fluorene (M_n = 89,300, M_w/M_n = 3.27) in high yield. The polycondensation of EDOT with various dibromoarenes was also achieved, giving EDOT‐carbazole, EDOT‐dialylamine, and EDOT‐bithiophene polymers. Optical and electrochemical properties of the polymers were also discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 55, 1183–1188     

Biodegradable polymers based on renewable resources. VII. Novel random and alternating copolycarbonates from 1,4:3,6‐dianhydrohexitols and aliphatic diols

Novel copolycarbonates containing 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐D ‐glucitol or 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐D ‐mannitol units, with various methylene chain lengths, were synthesized by bulk and solution polycondensations, of several combinations of carbonate‐modified sugar derivatives and aliphatic diols. Bulk polycondensations of 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐2,5‐bis‐O‐(phenoxycarbonyl)‐D ‐glucitol or 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐2,5‐bis‐O‐(phenoxycarbonyl)‐D ‐mannitol with four α,ω‐alkanediols having methylene chain lengths of 4, 6, 8, and 10, respectively, at 180 °C afforded the corresponding copolycarbonates with number‐average molecular weight (M_n) values up to 19.₂ × 10³. ¹³C NMR analysis disclosed that these polymers had scrambled structures in which the sugar carbonate and aliphatic carbonate moieties were nearly randomly distributed along a polymer chain. However, solution polycondensations between 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐2,5‐bis‐O‐(p‐nitrophenoxycarbonyl)‐D ‐glucitol or 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐2,5‐bis‐O‐(p‐nitrophenoxycarbonyl)‐D ‐mannitol, and the α,ω‐alkanediols in sulfolane or dimethyl sulfoxide at 60 °C gave well‐defined copolycarbonates having regular structures consisting of alternating sugar carbonate and aliphatic carbonate moieties with M_n values up to 33.₈ × 10³. Differential scanning calorimetry demonstrated that all the copolycarbonates were amorphous with glass‐transition temperatures ranging from 1 to 65 °C, which decreased with increasing lengths of the methylene chain of the aliphatic diols. Additionally, all the copolycarbonates were stable up to 310–330 °C as estimated by thermogravimetric analysis. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2312–2321, 2003     

Solvent‐free and nonisocyanate melt transurethane reaction for aliphatic polyurethanes and mechanistic aspects

A novel melt transurethane polycondensation route for polyurethanes under solvent‐free and nonisocyanate condition was developed for soluble and thermally stable aliphatic or aromatic polyurethanes. The new transurethane process was investigated for A + B, A‐A + B, and A‐A + B‐B (A‐urethane and B‐hydroxyl) ‐type condensation reactions, and also monomers bearing primary and secondary urethane or hydroxyl functionalities. The transurethane process was confirmed by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and molecular weight of the polymers were obtained as M_n = 10–15 × 10³ and M_w = 15–45 × 10³ g/mol. The mechanistic aspects of the melt transurethane process and role of the catalyst were investigated using model reactions, ¹H NMR, and MALDI‐TOF‐MS. The model reactions indicated the occurrence of 97% reaction in the presence of catalyst, whereas its absence gave only less than 2% of the product. The polymer samples were subjected for end‐group analysis using MALDI‐TOF‐MS, which confirms the Ti‐catalyst mediated nonisocyanate pathway in the melt transurethane process. Almost all the polyurethanes were stable up to 280 °C, and the T_g of the polyurethanes can be easily fine‐tuned from ?30 to 120 °C by using appropriate diols in the melt transurethane process. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2445–2458, 2008     

Branched poly(1,4‐butylene carbonate‐co‐terephthalate)s: LDPE‐like semicrystalline thermoplastics

Branched poly[1,4‐butylene carbonate‐co‐terephthalate]s (PBCTs) have been synthesized by the addition of a small amount of glycerol propoxylate ( 1 ) or pentaerythritol ( 2 ) in the polycondensation of 1,4‐butanediol, dimethyl carbonate, and dimethyl terephthalate. To avoid gel formation, the feed amount of 1 or 2 was carefully controlled at below 0.5 mol % for 1 and below 0.3 mol % for 2 . When feed of 1 or 2 was used, a high‐molecular weight melt state (M_w ～180,000 g/mol) was reached in a total reaction time of 5.5 to 6.5 h with a yield higher than 90%. The generated PBCTs were a semicrystalline polymer (T_g ～5 °C and T_m ～120 °C) when the terephthalate content (F_[TPA]) was 45 to 50 mol %. The crystallization rate increased with increasing F_[TPA] and branch content (F_{[ 1 or 2 ]}); PBCT composed of F_[TPA] = 49 mol % and F_{[ 1 ]} = 0.44 mol % was crystallized completely in a short time, ～3 min, at a crystallization temperature of 50 °C. The branched PBCT exhibited more pronounced toughness in tensile test while providing the advantage of processibility at high shear rates due to the pronounced shear thinning in melt. It was also found that the branched PBCTs were biodegradable. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 914–923     

Synthesis and properties of cyclic diester based aliphatic copolyesters

Melt polycondensation was used to prepare a systematic series of random and amorphous copolyesters using the following cycloaliphatic diesters: dimethyl‐1,4‐cyclohexane dicarboxylate (DMCD), dimethyl bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane‐1,4‐dicarboxylate (DMCD‐1), dimethyl bicyclo[2.2.2]octane‐1,4‐dicarboxylate (DMCD‐2), dimethyl bicyclo[3.2.2]nonane‐1,5‐dicarboxylate (DMCD‐3), 1,4‐dimethoxycarbonyl‐1,4‐dimethylcyclohexane (DMCD‐M) and the aliphatic diols: ethylene glycol (EG) and 1,4‐cyclohexane dimethanol (CHDM). The polymer compositions were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and the molecular weights were determined using size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The polyesters were characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The copolyester based on DMCD‐2 was observed to have a higher glass transition temperature (T_g up to 115 °C) than the other copolyesters of this study. For poly[x(DMCD‐2)y(DMCD) 30(EG)70(CHDM)], T_g increases linearly with increase of DMCD‐2 mole content. DMA showed that all of the cycloaliphatic copolyesters have secondary relaxations, resulting from the conformational transitions of the cyclohexylene rings. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2162–2169, 2010     

Synthesis of Poly(isosorbide carbonate) <Emphasis Type="Italic">via</Emphasis> Melt Polycondensation Catalyzed by Ca/SBA-15 Solid Base

Ca/SBA-15 solid bases with different Ca/Si atomic ratios were prepared by a one-pot route and employed as catalysts for the production of poly(isosorbide carbonate) (PIC) from diphenyl carbonate and isosorbide via a transesterification polymerization process. The relationship between physicochemical properties and catalytic performance for Ca/SBA-15 in this melt process was investigated by means of various characterization techniques. It was found that basic site amount and strength were responsible for this transesterification process; the weak and medium basic sites inclined to promote polycondensation reaction. It was worth noting that strong basic sites could favor the decomposition of the resultant PIC, resulting in the decrease of weight-average molecular weight (M_w) and yield, and the sample with Ca/Si atomic ratio of 0.4 exhibited the best catalytic performance, giving PIC with M_w of 4.88 × 10⁴ g/mol and T_g of 169 °C at the optimal conditions. This excellent activity can be ascribed to the presence of rich basic sites and specific basic strength on the surface of 0.4Ca/SBA-15.     

Melt‐processable thermosetting polyimide: Synthesis,characterization, fusibility,and property

To obtain a melt‐processable thermosetting polyimide having a high glass‐transition temperature (T_g) and good solvent resistance, the effect of introducing a crosslinkable agent into the polymer chain ends of the melt‐processable polyimide on its physical properties was studied. The polyimide (calculated number‐average molecular weight (M_n) = 11,600 g/mol) capped with the crosslinkable agent exhibited poor melt flowability because its crosslinkable agent reacted at the processing temperature of 360 °C. To reduce the rate of crosslink reaction, two methods were investigated. One was lowering the processing temperature, and the other was decreasing the amount of crosslinkable agent. The low‐molecular‐weight oligomer (calculated M_n = 6300 g/mol) capped with the crosslinkable agent exhibited good melt flowability at the lower processing temperature of 340 °C where the crosslinkable agent did not react. However, the obtained molded part of this oligomer was too brittle to maintain its shape. However, the polyimide (calculated M_n = 11,600 g/mol) partially capped with the crosslinkable agent demonstrated good melt flowability at the processing temperature of 360 °C. Furthermore, the molded part of this resin was strong and tough. In addition, the cured part exhibited high T_g and good solvent resistance. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2395–2404, 2004     

Biodegradable poly(carbonate‐ether)s with thermoresponsive feature at body temperature

Novel biodegradable poly(carbonate‐ether)s (PCEs) with lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at body temperature were synthesized by copolymerization of CO₂ and ethylene oxide (EO) under double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst. The PCEs showed carbonate unit (CU) content of 1.0–42.4 mol % and molecular weight of 2.7–247 kg/mol, which exhibited reversible thermoresponsive feature in deionized water with LCST in a broad window from 21.5 to 84.1 °C. The LCST was highly sensitive to the CU content and the molecular weight of PCEs, and it showed a linear relation with CU content for PCEs with similar molecular weight. In particular, aqueous solution of PCE with a 26.0 mol % of CU showed an LCST around 36.1 °C, which was very close to the body temperature. Interestingly, it was found that the phase transition behavior changed with PCE concentration. For PCE with M_n of 2.7 kg/mol and CU content of 30.0 mol %, the LCST increased from 21.5 to 36.7 °C when the PCE concentration changed from 10 to 1 g/L. Dynamic light scattering indicated that the phase transition was possibly due to a coil‐to‐globule transition. The thermoresponsive biodegradable PCE with LCST at body temperature is promising for biomedical applications, especially for in vivo applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Polyterephthalates made from Ethylene glycol, 1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol,and isosorbide

Three series of terephthalate polyesters (copolyesters and terpolyesters) containing 70, 80, and 90 mol % of ethylene glycol respectively, 1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) and isosorbide in varying ratios, were synthesized by melt polycondensation. It was found that only ～75 mol % of the feeding isosorbide was incorporated in the resulting polyesters and that their content in diethylene glycol oscillated between 2 and 4 mol %. The polyesters had weight‐average molecular weights in the 25,000–33,000 g mol^?1 range and polydispersities between 2 and 2.5. The combined ¹H and ¹³C NMR analysis revealed that the microstructure of all these polyesters was at random. They showed good thermal stability with decomposition temperatures above 400 °C. Their glass‐transition temperatures were observed to increase with the content in cyclic diols, this effect being more pronounced when isosorbide was the replacing comonomer. Only the series containing 90 mol % of ethylene terephthalate units was able to crystallize upon cooling from the melt. Compared isothermal crystallizations revealed that isosorbide was more effective than CHDM in repressing the crystallizability of PET. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Polyesters containing sulfur. VIII. New benzophenone‐derivative thiopolyesterdiols synthesis and characterization. Their use for thermoplastic polyurethanes preparation

The new linear thiopolyesterdiols (PEs) containing sulfur in the main chain were synthesized by melt polycondensation of newly obtained benzophenone‐4,4′‐bis(methylthioacetic acid) with excess of 1,4‐butanediol, 1,5‐pentanediol, and 1,6‐hexanediol. All these PEs (M _n of 2000–2600) were converted to thiopoly(ester‐urethane)s (PEUs) by polyaddition reaction with hexamethylene diisocyanate or 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate, which was carried out in melt at the ratio of NCO/OH = 1. The resulting thermoplastic PEUs were amorphous and elastomeric, with elongation at break ranging from 630 to 1200%. The polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and in the case of PEUs, Shore A/D hardness and tensile properties. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3977–3983, 2000     

Melt polycondensation of L‐lactic acid with Sn(II) catalysts activated by various proton acids: A direct manufacturing route to high molecular weight Poly(L‐lactic acid)

Poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) was produced by the melt polycondensation of L ‐lactic acid. For the optimization of the reaction conditions, various catalyst systems were examined at different temperature and reaction times. It was discovered that Sn(II) catalysts activated by various proton acids can produce high molecular weight PLLA [weight‐average molecular weight (M_w ) ≥ 100,000] in a relatively short reaction time (≤15 h) compared with simple Sn(II)‐based catalysts (SnO, SnCl₂ · 2H₂O), which produce PLLA with an M_w of less than 30,000 after 20 h. The new catalyst system is also superior to the conventional systems in regard to racemization and discoloration of the resultant polymer. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1673–1679, 2000     

A route toward multifunctional polyurethanes using triple click reactions

The aliphatic polyurethane with pendant alkyne, perfluorophenyl, and anthracene moieties (PU‐anthracene) was prepared from polycondensation of anthracene, alkyne, and perfluorophenyl functional‐diols with hexamethylenediisocyanate in the presence of dibutyltindilaurate (DBTL) in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature for 10 days. Thereafter, the PU‐(anthracene‐co‐alkyne‐co‐perfluorophenyl) (M_n,GPC = 15,400 g/mol, M_w/M_n= 1.37, relative to PS standards) was sequentially clicked with benzyl azide, octylamine, and 4‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)?10‐oxa‐4‐azatricyclo[5.2.1.02,6]dec‐8‐ene‐3,5‐dione (adduct alcohol) via copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition, active ester substitution and Diels–Alder reactions, respectively, to finally yield PU‐(hydroxyl‐co‐benzyltriazole‐co‐octylamine). The PUs were characterized using ¹H NMR, GPC, and DSC. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 480–486     

Novel neodymium (III) isopropoxide‐methylaluminoxane catalyst for isoprene polymerization

A novel catalyst composed of neodymium (III) isopropoxide [Nd(OiPr)₃] and methylaluminoxane (MAO) was examined in isoprene polymerization. The Nd(OiPr)₃‐MAO catalyst proved to be highly effective in heptane even at low [Al]/[Nd] ratios (ca. 30) to give polyisoprene that possessed high cis‐1,4 stereoregularity (> ca. 90%), a high number‐average molecular weight (M_n ～10⁵), and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n = 1.9–2.8). The catalyst activity increased with an increasing [Al]/[Nd] ratio from 10 to 80 as well as temperature of aging and polymerization from 0 to 60 °C. The polymerization proceeded in the first order with respect to the monomer concentration. Aliphatic solvents (heptane and cyclohexane) achieved a higher yield and M_n of polymer than toluene as a solvent. The M_w/M_n ratio remained around 2.0, and the gel permeation chromatographic curve was always unimodal, indicating that this system is homogeneous and involves a single active site. The microstructure of polyisoprene was determined by IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR. The cis‐1,4 contents of the final polymers stayed in the range of 90–92%, regardless of reaction conditions, indicating the high stability of stereospecificity of the catalyst. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1838–1844, 2002     

Novel,biodegradable, functional poly(ester‐carbonate)s by copolymerization of trans‐4‐hydroxy‐L‐proline with cyclic carbonate bearing a pendent carboxylic group

Water‐soluble poly(ester‐carbonate) having pendent amino and carboxylic groups on the main‐chain carbon is reported for the first time. This article describes the melt ring‐opening/condensation reaction of trans‐4‐hydroxy‐N‐benzyloxycarbonyl‐L ‐proline (N‐CBz‐Hpr) with 5‐methyl‐5‐benzyloxycarbonyl‐1,3‐dioxan‐2‐one (MBC) at a wide range of molar fractions. The influence of reaction conditions such as catalyst concentration, polymerization time, and temperature on the number average molecular weight (M_n) and molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n) of the copolymers was investigated. The polymerizations were carried out in bulk at 110 °C with 3 wt % stannous octoate as a catalyst for 16 h. The poly(ester‐carbonate)s obtained were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, and gel permeation chromatography. The copolymers synthesized exhibited moderate molecular weights (M_n = 6000–14,700 g mol^?1) with reasonable molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n = 1.11–2.23). The values of the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the copolymers depended on the molar fractions of cyclic carbonate. When the MBC content decreased from 76 to 12 mol %, the T_g increased from 16 to 48 °C. The relationship between the poly(N‐CBz‐Hpr‐co‐MBC) T_g and the compositions was in approximation with the Fox equation. In vitro degradation of these poly(N‐CBz‐Hpr‐co‐MBC)s was evaluated from weight‐loss measurements and the change of M_n and M_w/M_n. Debenzylation of 3 by catalytic hydrogenation led to the corresponding linear poly(ester‐carbonate), 4 , with pendent amino and carboxylic groups. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2303–2312, 2004     

Influence of stereochemistry on the thermal properties of partially cycloaliphatic polyamides

The effects of the partial substitution of 1,4‐disubstituted cyclohexane monomers for linear aliphatic monomers in polyamides are discussed. More specifically, the relation between the stereochemistry of the cycloaliphatic residues and the thermal properties [melting temperature (T_m) and crystallization temperature (T_cr)] was investigated. For this purpose, two different types of copolyamides were synthesized: in polyamides 12.6, the adipic acid residues were partially replaced by cis/trans‐1,4‐cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid (1,4‐CHDA), whereas in polyamides 4.14, the 1,4‐diaminobutane residues were partially substituted with cis/trans‐1,4‐diaminocyclohexane (1,4‐DACH). For both systems, increasing the degree of substitution of cycloaliphatic residues for linear aliphatic residues resulted in a rise of both T_m and T_cr. This points to the isomorphous crystallization of the linear and cycloaliphatic residues. In contrast to the use of 1,4‐DACH as a comonomer, 1,4‐CHDA residues showed isomerization upon thermal treatment of the polyamides. This isomerization of the cyclohexane residues influenced the thermal properties of the copolyamides. The use of a nonisomerizing cis–trans mixture of 1,4‐DACH exhibited the large influence of the stereochemistry of the cycloaliphatic residues on the T_m of the copolyamides. For both the 1,4‐CHDA‐ and 1,4‐DACH‐based copolyamides, differential scanning calorimetry analysis revealed that recrystallization occurs during melting. This exothermal effect becomes less pronounced with an increasing content of rigid cycloaliphatic residues. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1962–1971, 2002     

Synthesis of high‐molecular‐weight aliphatic–aromatic copolyesters from poly(ethylene‐co‐1,6‐hexene terephthalate) and poly(L‐lactic acid) by chain extension

A series of aliphatic–aromatic multiblock copolyesters consisting of poly(ethylene‐co‐1,6‐hexene terephthalate) (PEHT) and poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) were synthesized successfully by chain‐extension reaction of dihydroxyl terminated PEHT‐OH prepolymer and dihydroxyl terminated PLLA‐OH prepolymer using toluene‐2,4‐diisoyanate as a chain extender. PEHT‐OH prepolymers were prepared by two step reactions using dimethyl terephthalate, ethylene glycol, and 1,6‐hexanediol as raw materials. PLLA‐OH prepolymers were prepared by direct polycondensation of L ‐lactic acid in the presence of 1,4‐butanediol. The chemical structures, the molecular weights and the thermal properties of PEHT‐OH, PLLA‐OH prepolymers, and PEHT‐PLLA copolymers were characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR, GPC, TG, and DSC. This synthetic method has been proved to be very efficient for the synthesis of high‐molecular‐weight copolyesters (say, higher than M_w = 3 × 10⁵ g/mol). Only one glass transition temperature was found in the DSC curves of PEHT‐PLLA copolymers, indicating that the PLLA and PEHT segments had good miscibility. TG curves showed that all the copolyesters had good thermal stabilities. The resulting novel aromatic–aliphatic copolyesters are expected to find a potential application in the area of biodegradable polymer materials. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5898–5907, 2009