Studies on microwave-assisted ring-opening polymerization and property of poly(9-phenyl-2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro-[5,5]undcane-3-one)

Poly(9-phenyl-2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro-5,5]undcane-3-one) (PPTC) was synthesized by the microwave-assisted ring-opening polymerization (MROP) of a six-membered cyclic carbonate monomer 9-phenyl-2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro-5,5]undcane-3-one (PTC) with tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (Sn(Oct)₂) or aluminum isopropoxide (Al(OⁱPr)₃) as the catalysts. The obtained polycarbonates were further reduced by apalladium/carbonate catalyst (10% Pd/C) to afford partly deprotected polycarbonates containing hydroxyl groups (HPPTC). These two types of polycarbonates were characterized by ¹H-NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and automatic contact-angle measurements. The influence of the feed molar ratio of monomer-to-catalyst, the microwave irradiation power and the reaction time on the polymerization was also studied. The experimental results showed that HPPTC possessed significantly higher hydrophilicity and water absorption rate than PPTC.