Heterogeneous Double Metal Cyanide Catalyzed Synthesis of Poly(ε-caprolactone) Polyols for the Preparation of Thermoplastic Elastomers

Chinh-Hoang Tran,Jae-Eon Jeong,Sang-Woo Park,Soo-Jeong Lee,Il Kim,Min-Woong Lee,Wenliang Song,PilHo Huh

doi:10.3390/catal11091033

Abstract

A series of polycaprolactones (PCLs) with molecular weights of 950–10,100 g mol−1 and Ð of 1.10–1.87 have been synthesized via one-pot, solvent-free ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (CL) using a heterogeneous double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst. Various initiators, such as polypropylene glycol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, and sorbitol, are employed to tune the number of hydroxyl end groups and properties of the resultant PCLs. Kinetic studies indicate that the DMC-catalyzed ROP of CL proceeds via a similar mechanism with the coordination polymerization. Branched PCLs copolymers are also synthesized via the DMC-catalyzed copolymerization of CL with glycidol. The α,ω-hydroxyl functionalized PCLs were successfully used as telechelic polymers to produce thermoplastic poly(ester-ester) and poly(ester-urethane) elastomers with well-balanced stress and strain properties.

Highlights

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) have attracted great interest for both biomedical and industrial applications because of their unique mechanical properties compared with traditional rubbers [1,2,3]
A series of PCLs were synthesized via one-pot, solvent-free ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of CL, using different
Mn = 1110 g mol−1, Ð = 1.61, and a monomer conversion of 85% were obtained after 24 h at

Summary

Introduction

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) have attracted great interest for both biomedical and industrial applications because of their unique mechanical properties compared with traditional rubbers [1,2,3]. Elastomers are the representative commercial TPEs bearing amorphous soft segment and crystalline hard segment domains. Conventional TPEEs and TPUs have used polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG) as soft segments. Polyester-based TPEs have gained increasing attention due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability [4,5]. TPU elastomers [6,7,8]. Polyesters with a narrow polydispersity would be useful for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, e.g., as biodegradable implant materials and drug delivery systems [9,10]. In addition to aliphatic polyesters, polyesters with complex macromolecular architectures, especially star and branched polyesters, are attractive candidates for viscosity modifiers and plasticizers [11,12]

Methods

Results

Conclusion