Synthesis of an inorganic-organic polymer blend from orthoboric acid and caprolactam

The possibility of modifying boron polyoxide with an oligomeric amide upon thermal dehydration of orthoboric acid and oligomerization of caprolactam in a common melt is shown. The products obtained after thermal pretreatment of the initial blend containing 30 wt % caprolactam are investigated. It is shown that the main processes at T < 200°C are dehydration of orthoboric acid and hydrolysis of caprolactam with the formation of ε-aminocaproic acid. At temperatures of 225–260°C, the predominant process is the formation of boron polyoxide and a caprolactam-based oligomeric product. The data of ¹¹B NMR spectroscopy show that the chemical transformations of caprolactam occur against the background of the N:B donor-acceptor interaction. The two-dimensional ¹¹B-¹H] heteronuclear correlation spectrum indicates that the systems obtained upon thermal treatment are solid solutions.