Low Molecular Weight Polymers Research Articles

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the neuroprotective activity of Uncaria hirsuta Haviland

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a multi-functional material, has a high dispersion in molecular weight, and the functions of HA are determined through the size. Nevertheless, hyaluronic acid mixtures are not easily separated due to their polydispersity. In this study, a capillary electrophoresis strategy was developed for resolution of different molecular-weight HA without enzymatic digestion. Here, hyaluronic acid mixtures with low molecular weight (380 kD; LHA) and high molecular weight (2180 kD; HHA) were successfully resolved by the SDS integrated with low molecular-weight polymer in capillary electrophoresis. By optimizing experimental conditions, the separation of LHA and HHA was completed within 14 min. The optimal conditions were as follows: the running buffer was 25 mM borate buffer (pH 9.75) containing 30 mM SDS and 10% polyethylene glycol (MW: 8000); applied voltage was 20 kV (detector at cathode side) and separation temperature was set at 25 °C. The data of method validation showed that calibration plots were linear (r ≥ 0.9977) over a range of 10–50 μg/mL for LHA, and 40–200 μg/mL for HHA. In the evaluation of precision and accuracy for this method, the RSD and RE values were all less than 4.2%. This fascinating technique was successfully applied to the quality control of cosmetic and pharmaceutical containing different ratios of LHA and HHA, and it was feasible for serving as a tool to quantitatively analyze different sizes of HA for clinical survey. © 2019

Promotion of molecular diffusion and/or crystallization in fused deposition modeled poly(lactide) welds

Fused deposition modeled parts of polymeric origin exhibit inferior interlayer mechanical properties. To enhance interfacial weld stiffness, poly(lactide) blends containing low molecular weight polymers of chemically identical but enantiomerically different nature are explored. The enantiomeric composition of the low molecular weight fraction is either random or opposite, promoting molecular diffusion or nucleation respectively. The structure-relationship of the interfaces is studied using torsional stiffness, calorimetry, and rheology. Fully miscible, non-crystallizable low molecular weight additives of random L and D enantiomeric composition reduce melt viscosity and crystallization rate, promoting molecular diffusion. Nevertheless, incomplete entangling and crystallization upon interfacial mixing induce poor interfacial stiffening. Poly(lactide) stereocomplex enriched interfaces promote crystallization. Chains across weld interfaces may be mechanically anchored in crystals, but hindered diffusion limits molecular mixing and thus the extent of mechanical stiffening. Ultimately, combining melt plasticization and increased crystallization rates distinctly increases weld stiffness and thermodynamic/geometrical stability of fused deposition modeled poly(lactides).

Merging New Organoborane Chemistry with Living Radical Polymerization

In this issue of Cell Reports Physical Science, Pan and co-workers synthesize alkylcatecholboranes that can be oxidized by oxygen to drive the release of carbon-centered radicals for initiating reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. These organoboranes can slowly decompose to radicals that enable RAFT polymerization with exceptional control yielding ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polymers.

In Situ Gel Formation in Microporated Skin for Enhanced Topical Delivery of Niacinamide.

Although used widely in cosmetic formulations, topical delivery of niacinamide (LogP = −0.35) is unfavorable by conventional means. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) formulations, can undergo a sol-gel transition triggered by solvent exchange, entrapping molecules and sustaining their release. The current study aims to exploit the ability of PLGA to gel in situ and enhance the topical delivery of niacinamide in microporated skin. In vitro drug permeation studies were performed using vertical Franz diffusion cells. Microporation was performed using Dr. PenTM Ultima A6, where pre-treatment with a 1 mm needle-length for 10 s and a 0.5 mm needle-length for 5 s, both at 13,000 insertions/min were compared. The effect of different grades of PLGA, EXPANSORB® DLG 50-2A (“low” molecular weight), and EXPANSORB® DLG 50-8A (“high” molecular weight) on topical delivery was also determined. Formulations containing PLGA resulted in successful gelation in situ on application over microporated skin. A significantly higher amount of drug was found in the skin with the 0.5 mm treatment for 5 s (892 ± 36 µg/cm2) than with 1 mm for 10 s (167 ± 16 µg/cm2). Hence, the different grades of PLGA were evaluated with 0.5 mm, 5 s treatment, and a significantly larger amount was seen in skin with the higher rather than the lower molecular weight polymer (172 ± 53 µg/cm2).

Multifunctional Tunable Polymethacrylates for Enhanced Shear Stability and Wear Prevention

This paper describes the design, synthesis, and characterization of linear, polar, and nonpolar polymethacrylates designed for use as lubricant viscosity index (VI) improvers with enhanced shear and antiwear resistance. The polymers were prepared via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer to obtain relatively low and narrow molecular weights, with random polar moieties. The resulting polymers were evaluated as oil solutions to determine their VI, shear stability performance, and antiwear characteristics. The polymers had molecular weights (Mw) ranging from 120 to 170 kDa, and the resulting VIs, in general, tracked the Mw. Although the VIs were modest (140–189), all polymers displayed higher values than a commercial product designed for similar applications, both at 2% (w/w) and when kinematic viscosities (KVs) were normalized to the lowest KV100 of ∼6 cSt. One of the imidazole-containing polymers displayed an anomalously high VI for a low apparent Mw. As hypothesized, many of the polar polymers demonstrated substantial wear reduction compared to the nonpolar homopolymers or a commercial benchmark. The low-molecular weight imidazole-containing polymer produced less than 4% of the wear displayed by the commercial standard. The higher molecular weight polymers containing imidazole, hydroxy group, and amino group also produced as little as 10% of the wear shown by the benchmark. The strategy demonstrated the benefit of low and narrow molecular weight polymers to achieve good shear stability in viscosity modifiers while minimizing wear, rendering them suitable for fluid power applications.

Synthesis of Hydrophobically Associating Polymers and the Application as Oil-Displacing Agent

Polymer plays a function in dominating fluidity in poly-surfactant binary flooding. After optimization and screening, the polymer ought to encounter the demands of terrific water solubility, high-pitched relative molecular weight, substantial viscosifying capability, beneficial injection, good salt opposition of solution, nice biological stability, no pollution to reservoir and environment, wide source, easy transportation and low expense. In this paper, a series of laboratory examinations on high-efficiency composite that floods system for Chang 6 reservoir in Ansai oilfield will be implemented , concentrating on improving and dispensing the existent polymer formulation, and building low molecular weight polymer with colloidal morphology, in order to make it suitable for aim constitution.

Pasting, rheological, and dough mixing behavior of rice flour as affected by the addition of native and partially hydrolyzed β-glucan concentrate.

This study was aimed at evaluating the potential of barley β-glucan concentrates (native and partially hydrolyzed) in modifying the techno-functionality of rice flour dough. β-Glucan concentrate was partially hydrolyzed to obtain a low molecular weight polymer and their influence on the pasting, rheological, and thermal properties of rice dough were assessed. Hydration, thermal, and pasting properties were significantly modified with the added β-glucans. The rice dough supplemented with β-glucan concentrates showed improved viscoelastic and creep behavior and the effectiveness of β-glucans in imparting strength to rice dough depended on its molecular weight. Hydrolyzed β-glucan concentrates having low molecular weight increased dough elasticity to the greater extent in comparison to native β-glucan concentrates. The micrographs of supplemented dough showed a strong and dense network indicating improved structure and strength.

Soluciones HPAM de baja concentración como método de reducción de la retención de polímeros en CEOR

Polymer Flooding has become one of the most implemented EOR techniques, due to three factors: First, Polymer flooding has expanded the range of the screening criteria parameters. Second, this EOR method is more effective than water injection, while handling water management issues in high water-cut reservoirs. Nevertheless, polymer retention can turn a viable technical project into an uneconomical one. Polymer loss due to retention is an inevitable phenomenon, which happens during injection processes. The development of experimental analysis aiming to minimize or reduce polymer loss from the displacing fluid bank is beneficial to broaden the application of this CEOR method. This experimental work evaluated the injection schemes aiming to reduce polymer retention in porous media. The approach consisted of injecting less-concentrated polymer banks followed for the main polymer bank designed for mobility control. An experimental methodology to quantify polymer retention due to each injected polymer bank, cumulative polymer retention, resistance factor, residual resistance factor and inaccessible pore volume (IPV) was developed. The measurement process was based on the injection of 20 PV polymer banks at a constant flow rate of 1ml/min at 25°C, separated by 30 PV brine banks. Two HPAM with molecular weights of 6-8 million and 20 million Daltons using 350mD and 5000 mD sandstone cores were tested, respectively. The HPAM solutions considering a Colombian field (0.7% NaCl) and seawater (3.5% TDS) salinities were prepared. All rock samples were previously submitted to the injection of 50 PV for preventing fines migration. Two injection schemes with variable polymer concentrations were performed: The first one in which the polymer concentration increased in each successive bank, and the second one in which the concentration decreased. HPAM concentration solutions from 50 ppm to 2000 ppm were sequentially used in both injection schemes. By comparing the results of these two schemes, the effect of the injection of the less-concentrated polymer solutions was evaluated. For the increasing concentration experiments, cumulative retention values of 175.7 μg/g and 58.9 μg/g were calculated for the low-molecular weight polymer and the high-molecular weight polymer, respectively. While comparing with decreasing concentration experiments, for the high-molecular weight HPAM a 19% of retention reduction was evidenced, but no retention reduction was observed for the low-molecular weight one. The results indicate that different retention mechanisms are strongly dependents on the absolute permeability of the samples. Additionally, IPV values of 0.5 PV and 0.25 PV were calculated using low and high permeability samples, respectively. There was no linear relation between the absolute permeability reduction and the polymer concentration of the first bank injected into the sample. The novelty of this work is to use sacrificial banks of less-concentrated HPAM solutions as a reducing retention agent for the polymer bank designed for mobility control.

The Preparation of PLA/PLGA Composite Membrane and Its Application as Periodontal Barrier Membrane

We synthesized high molecular weight polymer PLA (polylactic acid) and low molecular weight polymer PLGA [poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)]. Then we prepared PLA/PLGA composite membrane by blending these two polymers, and tested various properties, such as physical, mechanical and biological properties for periodontal barrier. When PLA/PLGA = 2: 1 (w/w), degradation rate of the membrane was 63.7% within 32 weeks. The membrane showed aperture pores of 2 - 5 µm, the minimum tensile strength of 5.75MPa, and the porosity above 90%, which was beneficial to the entry of nutrients and the elimination of metabolic wastes. Under SEM (scanning electron microscope), we observed that gingival fibroblasts only grew on the positive surface, and didn’t grow on the negative side or the cross-section, indicating that the membrane played a good role of mechanical barrier.

Design of a rigid side chain for poly(N‐vinylamide) derivatives bearing an alkenyl group and evaluation of their ability to inhibit tetrahydrofuran hydrate crystal growth

AbstractKinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are water‐soluble polymers that are used to prevent gas hydrate formation in flow lines during upstream oil and gas production. All commercial polymers have pendant hydrophobic moieties with saturated carbon–carbon bonds. In our previous studies, poly(N‐vinylamide) derivatives bearing alkyl groups and ethylene glycol groups were synthesized and investigated as KHIs. For comparison, we have now synthesized poly(N‐vinylamide) derivatives in which an alkenyl group has been introduced at the N‐position to improve the rigidity and steric hindrance of the side chain. The KHI performances of synthesized polymers were evaluated by the method of tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate crystal growth. The molecular weight of the synthesized polymers affected their ability to inhibit THF hydrate crystal growth. Higher molecular weight polymers, above 4,000 g/mol, tended to show higher inhibition efficiencies compared with lower molecular weight polymers of around 1,000 g/mol. However, the KHI performance of poly(N‐vinylamide) derivatives bearing alkenyl groups was generally lower than the polymers in the previous studies. This indicates that the side chain rigidity and/or steric hindrance do not significantly influence the KHI performance.

Characterization of conformational transition of polymers with low molecular weights in solutions by fluorescence resonance energy transfer

The conformations of polymers in solutions are of great importance, and scattering techniques prevail in detecting these conformations. However, most studies only focus on polymer species with high molecular weights or those well above their entanglement molecular weights, and studies on polymer solutions with low molecular weights, e.g., lower than 10,000 Da, are lacking. Here, the conformation of low molecular weight polymers in solutions with different concentrations was investigated via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Based on a site-specific chromophore-labeling protocol, the conformational information of the polymer was inferred from the end-to-end FRET response. In principle, the FRET efficiency increases with increasing polymer concentration since the size of the polymer coil decreases. For low molecular weight polymers, the trend of the FRET efficiency shows the opposite effect as the polymer concentration increases, which is rationalized by the counterbalance of the intrinsic size contraction (static item) of and terminal diffusion (dynamic item) from the polymer coil. The universality of this law is verified by similar results from the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) system. This work provides new efforts for the conformational study of polymer solutions and demonstrates that the diffusion effect should be taken into account for low molecular weight polymers but is negligible for polymers with high molecular weights.

INSIGHTS into the structures adopted by titanocalix[6 and 8]arenes and their use in the ring opening polymerization of cyclic esters.

Interaction of p-tert-butylcalix[6]areneH6, L1H6, with [TiCl4] afforded the complex [Ti2Cl3(MeCN)2(OH2)(L1H)][Ti2Cl3(MeCN)3(L1H)]·4.5MeCN (1·4.5MeCN), in which two pseudo-octahedral titanium centres are bound to one calix[6]arene. A similar reaction but employing THF resulted in the THF ring-opened product [Ti4Cl2(μ3-O)2(NCMe)2(L)2(O(CH2)4Cl)2]·4MeCN (2·4MeCN), where LH4 = p-tert-butylcalix[4]areneH4. Interaction of L1H6 with [TiF4] (3 equiv.) led, after work-up, to the complex [(TiF)2(μ-F)L1H]2·6.5MeCN (3·6.5MeCN). Treatment of p-tert-butylcalix[8]areneH8, L2H8, with [TiCl4] led to the isolation of the complex [(TiCl)2(TiClNCMe)2(μ3-O)2(L2)]·1.5MeCN (4·1.5MeCN). From a similar reaction, a co-crystallized complex [Ti4O2Cl4(MeCN)2(L2)][Ti3Cl6(MeCN)5(OH2)(L2H2)]·H2O·11MeCN (5·H2O 11MeCN) was isolated. Extension of the L2H8 chemistry to [TiBr4] afforded, depending on the stoichiometry, the complexes [(TiBr)2(TiBrNCMe)2(μ3-O)2(L2)]·6MeCN (6·6MeCN) or [[Ti(NCMe)2Br]2[Ti(O)Br2(NCMe)](L2)]·7.5MeCN (7·7.5MeCN), whilst use of [TiF4] afforded complexes containing Ca2+ and Na+, thought to originate from drying agents, namely [Ti8CaF20(OH2)Na2(MeCN)4(L2)2]·14MeCN (8·14MeCN), [Na(MeCN)2][Ti8CaF20NaO16(L2)2]·7MeCN (9·7MeCN) or [Na]6[Ti8F20Na(MeCN)2(L2)][Ti8F20Na(MeCN)0.5(L2)]·15.5(C2H3N) (10·15.5MeCN). In the case of [TiI4], the ladder [(TiI)2(TiINCMe)2(μ3-O)2(L2)]·7.25CH2Cl2 (11·7.25CH2Cl2) was isolated. These complexes have been screened for their potential to act as catalysts in the ring opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL), δ-valerolactone (δ-VL) and rac-lactide (r-LA), both in air and N2. For ε-CL and δ-VL, moderate activity at 130 °C over 24 h was observed for 1, 9 and 11; for r-LA, only 1 exhibited reasonable activity. In the case of the co-polymerization of ε-CL with δ-VL, the complexes 1 and 11 afforded reasonable conversions and low molecular weight polymers, whilst 4, 6, and 9 were less effective. None of the complexes proved to be active in the co-polymerization of ε-CL and r-LA under the conditions employed herein.

Glasshouse study of a sprayable, degradable polymer to reduce water use in cotton establishment

This glasshouse pot experiment demonstrated that a new sprayable and degradable polymer reduced soil water evaporation and promoted cotton seedling emergence and establishment. The polymer was tested on two contrasting soils (sandy loam and clay), representative of those used to grow cotton in Australia. Changes in soil water content in non-treated and polymer-treated pots were monitored over 80 days, after surface or subsurface watering. Plant biomass, soil water content and soil chemical properties were determined at harvest. The polymer reduced soil water evaporation by up to 35% in sandy loam and up to 20% in clay, did not compromise seedling emergence and improved plant growth per unit water applied by up to 26.2%. The polymer underwent extensive degradation after 80 days to produce low molecular-weight polymers or oligomers and water-extractable silicon species that may have implications for plant nutrition.

The matrix of SDS integrated with linear hydrophilic polymer for resolution of high- and low-molecular weight hyaluronic acids in MEKC

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a multi-functional material, has a high dispersion in molecular weight, and the functions of HA are determined through the size. Nevertheless, hyaluronic acid mixtures are not easily separated due to their polydispersity. In this study, a capillary electrophoresis strategy was developed for resolution of different molecular-weight HA without enzymatic digestion. Here, hyaluronic acid mixtures with low molecular weight (380 kD; LHA) and high molecular weight (2180 kD; HHA) were successfully resolved by the SDS integrated with low molecular-weight polymer in capillary electrophoresis. By optimizing experimental conditions, the separation of LHA and HHA was completed within 14 min. The optimal conditions were as follows: the running buffer was 25 mM borate buffer (pH 9.75) containing 30 mM SDS and 10% polyethylene glycol (MW: 8000); applied voltage was 20 kV (detector at cathode side) and separation temperature was set at 25 °C. The data of method validation showed that calibration plots were linear (r ≥ 0.9977) over a range of 10–50 μg/mL for LHA, and 40–200 μg/mL for HHA. In the evaluation of precision and accuracy for this method, the RSD and RE values were all less than 4.2%. This fascinating technique was successfully applied to the quality control of cosmetic and pharmaceutical containing different ratios of LHA and HHA, and it was feasible for serving as a tool to quantitatively analyze different sizes of HA for clinical survey.

Thermal gelation of partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide/polyethylenimine mixtures using design of experiments approach

Polyethylenimine crosslinked polymer gels are gaining a huge interest in conformance control applications in oilfields. They are used to reduce the production of undesirable fluids (water & gas) by blocking the fractures that connect injection and production wells. In this paper, a statistical analysis on the thermal gelation of well characterized reactants namely partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide (PHPA) (Mw = 5.1 million Daltons and hydrolysis degree = 6%) and polyethylenimine (PEI) (Mw = 19.2 kilo Daltons and branching degree = 59%), was conducted using response surface methodology (RSM). A four factor doehlert matrix was employed in designing the experiments and evaluating the gelation time as function of salinity (0–8 g/L NaCl), polymer (PHPA) and crosslinker (PEI) concentrations, temperature (70 °C–90 °C) and their corresponding combinations. As a result, the gelation time was found to strongly vary with salinity, temperature and PHPA concentration following a nonlinear mathematical model. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of this model revealed its significance in a 95% confidence level against experimental data. In a second part, an experimental investigation was carried out to understand the interaction between PHPA and PEI. To do so, the viscosity variations of analogue mixtures prepared with low molecular weight (Mw) polymers, such as polyacrylamide (PAM) and polyacrylic acid (PAA), were monitored using capillary viscometry at different conditions of temperature, pH and reaction time. The PAM/PEI mixtures showed a remarkable viscosity increase at typical pH of around 10 when cured at 80 °C. While, the PAA/PEI mixtures underwent precipitation at pH of around 6 revealing the strong interaction between PAA and PEI at this condition.

Michael addition in reactive extrusion: A facile sustainable route to developing phosphorus based flame retardant materials

This study addresses three very important aspects of sustainable development of new flame re-tardant material, i.e. in situ solvent free synthesis of flame retardant macromolecules during thermal processing of polymers, their leaching behavior from the polymer matrix and their preliminary toxicity assessment. Polyamide 6 (PA6) was functionalized by a novel reactive extrusion process. In situ synthesis of phosphine oxide based macromolecules was obtained via Michael addition reaction of divinyl phenyl phosphine oxide (DVPPO) and piperazine during the reactive extrusion process. The formation of phosphine oxide macromolecules (oligomers and low molecular weight polymers) were confirmed by NMR study of the modified PA6 polymer and UPLC-MS analysis of extracts from PA6 samples. Elemental analysis of the modified PA6 after the extraction with chloroform and water confirmed retention of majority of phosphorus species, confirming the beneficial effect of large macromolecular additives. This non-leaching behavior of modified PA6 is an important requirement for thin walled substrates like fibers and films where long-term durability is very important. The reactive extruded PA6 was successfully processed into textile fibers via melt spinning process in a laboratory spinning plant. The presence of phosphine oxide macromolecules in PA6 matrix had a lubricating effect, which has influence in the thermal processing and final properties of the fiber. The modified PA6 was evaluated for fire performance in small-scale fire tests where it showed improved fire performance. Moreover, the preliminary toxicity assessment of the relatively unknown DVPPO, via a well-established in vitro platform showed no adverse effects on cell viability.

Possibility of artocarpus heterophyllus latex as an alternative source for natural rubber

Abstract Natural rubber (NR) has much application in rubber product manufacturing industries, which cannot be replaced by synthetic rubber. At present, Hevea rubber tree is the only economical and commercially viable source of NR. Therefore, the objective of the present research was to find alternative source of NR. NR mainly comprise of cis-1,4 polyisoprene. Artocarpus heterophyllus latex (jackfruit latex) was collected and analyzed to investigate if it can be considered as alternative source of NR. It was found from FTIR, 1H NMR and GC-MS study that jackfruit latex contains both cis-1,4 polyisoprene and trans- 1,4 polyisoprene along with few other chemical constituents. However, molecular weight of jackfruit latex is significantly lower than the NR. Because of low molecular weight polymer and presence of several other chemical constituents as impurity, jackfruit latex does not impart significant mechanical properties in vulcanized rubber compound, but it provides additional wet skid resistance (WSR) and aid in better dispersion of carbon black in rubber compound. Therefore, jackfruit latex cannot be used to replace NR, but can be used as low molecular weight natural resin, especially to improve dispersion of carbon black in rubber compound and to enhance WSR for tire.

Factors affecting fractal patterns obtained by electroless deposition in polymer

Electroless deposition of silver has been studied experimentally in a polymer (chitosan) with different molecular weight (∼50 000–190 000 Da and ∼600 000 Da). Transport of ions in polymers involves various dynamical processes having different time scales. The time scale of ion dynamics depends on the number of monomer chains in the polymer, i.e., the molecular weight of the polymer. Polymers of high molecular weight contain regular arrangement of long chains of monomers which generally leads to high crystallinity. Copper, zinc and aluminum wires have been used for different reaction rates in the polymer-Ag salt solution. Anisotropy of the polymer-salt solution varies due to the change in the ion dynamics in high molecular weight polymer as compared to the low molecular weight polymer. Varying anisotropy leads to different aggregation patterns around the reactive metal wires. X-ray diffraction has been performed to determine the crystallinity while the voltage-time measurement has been done to validate the aggregation process. Effect of air exposure/oxidation on the growth patterns has also been considered as the adsorption of oxygen ions changes with the change in the crystallinity of the polymer.

Applications of Algal Polysaccharides and Derivatives in Therapeutic and Agricultural Fields.

Recently, researchers have given more and more consideration to natural polysaccharides thanks to their huge properties such as stability, biodegradability and biocompatibility for food and therapeutics applications. a number of enzymatic and chemical processes were performed to generate bioactive molecules, such as low molecular weight fractions and oligosaccharides derivatives from algal polysaccharides. These considerable characteristics allow algal polysaccharides and their derivatives such as low molecular weight polymers and oligosaccharides structures to have great potential to be used in lots of domains, such as pharmaceutics and agriculture etc. Conclusion: The present review describes the mains polysaccharides structures from Algae and focuses on the currents agricultural (fertilizer, bio-elicitor, stimulators, signaling molecules and activators) and pharmaceutical (wound dressing, tissues engineering and drugs delivery) applications by using polysaccharides and/or their oligosaccharides derivatives obtained by chemical, physical and enzymatic processes.

Thermal, Mechanical Properties and Rheological Behavior of Poly(Propylene Carbonate)/Poly(Ethylene Glycol)/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites

Graphene oxide (GO) is an efficient nanofiller for polymers and a good dispersion of GO in polymer matrix is most important to enhance properties. Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC)/GO nanocomposite was prepared by a method with solution blending and melt mixing for improvement of GO dispersion. First, GO was prepared using an improved Hummers method. In the solution blending, GO was well dispersed in water and another low molecular weight polymer, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), was also dispersed in water, as a dispersion medium for next melt mixing of PPC and GO. Then PPC and PEG/GO was melt-mixed in a HAAKE mixer. The dispersion of GO in PPC matrix and effect of GO content on properties of PPC/PEG/GO nanocomposites was investigated. Results show that tensile strength of nanocomposites with the content of 0.5 wt% GO increased from 17.51 MPa (pure PPC) to 21.61 MPa and elongation at break can be kept high. The complex viscosity, storage and loss modulus is the highest for nanocomposites with the content of 0.5 wt% GO. This illustrated that a lower content of GO can improve the properties of PPC, owing to the good dispersion of GO in PPC matrix. Based on dispersion of GO and chemical structure of PPC, PEG, and GO, the reinforcement mechanism of GO in PPC was analyzed.