Effect of alcohols on the degradation of crosslinked unsaturated polyester in sub-critical water

The effect of alcohols on the degradation of unsaturated polyesters crosslinked with styrene was studied in sub-critical water at 300 °C. The de-crosslinked polymer was obtained by degradation of polyester chains in sub-critical water, and the de-crosslinking was enhanced by adding alcohols and phenols having a long alkyl chain such as 1-tetradecanol and 3-pentadecylphenol. However, the enhancement was not observed in the presence of diols even when they had a long alkyl chain. This finding suggests that transesterification enhanced the de-crosslinking of the polymer in sub-critical water.