Ning Xu, Xin Liu, Yixin Liu
Jan 5, 2010
Citations
0
Influential Citations
5
Citations
Journal
Journal of Applied Polymer Science
Abstract
Random copolymers of 2,2-dimethyltri- methylene carbonate and ethylene carbonate (EC) were synthesized with lanthanide tris(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methyl- phenolate)s (Ln(DBMP)3 ;L n¼ La, Nd, Sm, or Dy) as cata- lysts, among which La(DBMP)3 showed the highest activity. Poly(2,2-dimethyltrimethylene carbonate-co-ethyl- ene carbonate)s (poly(DTC-co-EC))s with high molecular weights were prepared at room temperature and charac- terized with 1 H-NMR and size exclusion chromatography. The thermal behavior and crystalline properties of the poly(DTC-co-EC)s were analyzed with differential scan- ning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction. The crystallinity and melting temperatures of the poly(DTC-co-EC)s both decreased with increasing EC content in the copolymers. The mechanical properties of these copolymers were also investigated with dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile strength measurements, which revealed that a reduction of the glass-transition temperature and great enhancement of the tensile proper- ties could be achieved with higher EC contents. These improvements in the thermal and mechanical properties indicate potential applications in biomedical research for novel polycarbonates. V C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 115: 46-51, 2010