Depolymerization of Poly(bisphenol A carbonate) in Subcritical and Supercritical Toluene

The depolymerization of poly（bisphenol A carbonate）（PC） in subcritical and supercritical toluene was studied. The experimental parameters, which influence the depolymerization reaction such as temperature （570-633 K）, pressure （4.0-7.0 MPa）, reaction time （5-60 min）, and toluene to PC weight ratio （3.0-11.0）, were investigated, and the reaction products were determined by CrC, GC/MS and FT-IR spectrometer. It was found that the main product of the depolymerization reaction was bisphenol A（BPA）. BPA accounted for over 55.7% of the depolymerization products at reaction temperature 613 K, pressure 5.0-6.0 MPa, reaction time 15 min and toluene/PC weight ratio of around 7.0.

SELF-ASSEMBLED MICRO-DOMAINS ON THE UPPERMOST SURFACE OF FLUORINATED POLY(CARBONATE URETHANE)S WITH FLUORINATED SIDE CHAIN ATTACHED ON HARD SEGMENTS

The surface phase separated structure of polyurethanes is always desired due to the advantage of better biocompatibility, compared with the homogeneous one. The key issue is how to control and characterize the surface morphology. In this work, we report the uppermost surface morphology of fluorinated poly(carbonate urethane)s with fluorinated side chains attached to hard segments as studied by AFM, XPS and contact angle measurement. A self-assembled micro-domain with the fluorinated side chain standing up on the uppermost surface has been proposed for polyurethane with higher fluorinated content, based on the result obtained.

TRANSESTERIFICATION OF POLY(BISPHENOL A CARBONATE) WITH AROMATIC AND ALIPHATIC SEGMENTS IN BUTYLENE TEREPHTHALATE-CAPROLACTONE COPOLYESTER

In this article, the transesterification of poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PC) with butylene terephthalate-caprolactone copolyester at a weight ratio 50/50 (BCL(21)) was thoroughly investigated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ('H-NMR), in conjunction with a model compound. The 1 H-NMR results of the annealed blend PC/BCL(21) show that the formation of bisphenol A-terephthalate ester units is the same as in the annealed blend of PC with PBT, and the transesterification actually occurs between PC and butylene terephthalate (BT) segments in BCL(21). By comparison with the model compound bisphenol A dibutyrate, the new signal appearing at δ= 2.56 in the 1H-NMR spectrum confirms the existence of bisphenol A caprolactone ester units resulting from the exchange reaction of PC with caprolactone (CL) segments. 1H-NMR analysis of the transesterification rates reveals that the reaction of PC with aromatic and aliphatic segments in BCL(21) proceeds in a random manner. The miscibility of the blend PC/BCL(21) copolyester is favorable for the transesterification of PC with BT segments and CL segments.

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Aliphatic Polycarbonates Bearing Pendant Allyl Ether Groups

A new six-membered cyclic carbonate monomer, 5-allyloxytrimethylene carbonate （ATMC）, was synthesized starting from glycerol, and the corresponding polycarbonates, poly（5-allyloxytrimethylene carbonate）（PATMC） were further synthesized by ring-opening polymerization in bulk at 150℃ using stannous octanoate as an initiator. The structures of the monomer and the polymers were confirmed by IR, IH-NMR, 13C-NMR, and GPC analysis.

LARGELY IMPROVED BLOOD COMPATIBILITY OF POLYURETHANE BY BLENDING WITH FLUORINATED PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE POLYURETHANE

The improvement of biocompatibility of polyurethanes was investigated.The results demonstrate that the blood compatibility of polyurethanes can be further improved by just simply mixing with the fluorinated phosphatidylcholine poly(carbonate urethane)s(FPCPCUs).The solution blending was done by mixing poly(ether urethane)(PEU)with FPCPCU in different compositions.An increased blood compatibility of the blend films was observed with the increase of FPCPCU content,and when FPCPCU content reached to 40 wt%(40F...

Poly(amide-6-b-ethylene oxide)/[Bmim][Tf2N] blend membranes for carbon dioxide separation

Poly（amide-6-b-ethylene oxide）（Pebax1657）/1-butyl-3-methylimidazo-lium bis[trifluoromethyl）sulfonyl]-imide（[Bmim][Tf2N]） blend membranes with different [Bmim][Tf2N] contents were prepared via solution casting and solvent evaporation method. The permeation properties of the blend membranes for CO2, N2,CH4 and H2 were studied, and the physical properties were characterized by differential scanning calorimeter（DSC） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）. Results showed that [Bmim][Tf2N] was dispersed as amorphous phase in the blend membranes, which caused the decrease of Tg（PE） and crystallinity（PA）. With the addition of [Bmim][Tf2N], the CO2 permeability increased and reached up to approximately 286 Barrer at 40 wt%[Bmim][Tf2N], which was nearly double that of pristine Pebax1657 membrane. The increase of CO2 permeability may be attributed to high intrinsic permeability of [Bmim][Tf2N], the increase of fractional free of volume（FFV） and plasticization effect. However, the CO2 permeability reduced firstly when the [Bmim][Tf2N]content was below 10 wt%, which may be due to that the small ions of [Bmim][Tf2N] in the gap of polymer chain inhibited the flexibility of polymer chain; the interaction between Pebax1657 and [Bmim][Tf2N]decreased the content of EO units available for CO2 transport and led to a more compact structure. For Pebax1657/[Bmim][Tf2N] blend membranes, the permeabilities of N2, H2 and CH4decreased with the increase of feed pressure due to the hydrostatic pressure effect, while CO2 permeability increased with the increase of feed pressure for that the CO2-induced plasticization effect was stronger than hydrostatic pressure effect.

COPOLYMERIZATION OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND CYCLOHEXENE OXIDE CATALYZED BY ALUMINUM PORPHYRIN-QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SALT IN THE PRESENCE OF BULKY LEWIS ACID

Chloro(5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-porphyrinato)-aluminum/tetraethylammonium bromide(Et4NBr)in combination with bulky Lewis acid was used for the copolymerization of CO_2 and cyclohexene oxide(CHO).Bulky Lewis acid having substituents at the ortho positions of the phenolate ligands,like methylaluminum bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolate), significantly shortened the induction period and raised the catalytic activity,the corresponding turnover frequency reached 44.9 h^(-1)in 9 h,which was 23.8% higher than th...

Biodegradable Foaming Material of Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT)/Poly(propylene carbonate)(PPC)

A biodegradable blend foaming material of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT)/poly(propylene carbonate)(PPC)was successfully prepared by chemical foaming agent and screw extrusion method.First,PBAT was modified by bis(tert-butyl dioxy isopropyl)benzene(BIBP)for chain extension,and then the extended PBAT(E-PBAT)was foamed with PPC using a twin(single)screw extruder.By analyzing the properties of the blends,we found that Young’s modulus increased from 58.8 MPa of E-PBAT to 244.7 MPa of E-PBAT/PPC 50/50.The viscosity of the polymer has a critical influence on the formation of cells.Compared with neat PBAT(N-PBAT),the viscosity of E-PBAT increased by 3396 Pa·s and E-PBAT/PPC 50/50 increased by 8836 Pa·s.Meanwhile,the dynamic mechanical analysis(DMA)results showed that the storage modulus(E’)at room temperature increased from 538 MPa to 1650 MPa.The various phase morphologies(“sea-island”,“quasi-co-continuous”and“cocontinuous”)and crystallinity of the blends affected the spread velocity of gas and further affected the foaming morphology in E-PBAT/PPC foam.Therefore,through the analysis of phase morphology and foaming mechanism,we concluded that the E-PBAT/PPC 70/30 component has both excellent strength and the best foaming performance.

Rheological, Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Biodegradable Poly(propylene carbonate)/Polylactide/Poly(1,2-propylene glycol adipate) Blown Films

Poly（propylene carbonate） （PPC） was blended with polylactide （PLA） and poly（1,2-propylene glycol adipate） （PPA） using a twin screw extruder. Then the PPC/PLA/PPA films were prepared using the blown film technique. DMA results showed that PPA could act as a plasticizer and improve the miscibility between PPC and PLA. Crystal morphology displayed that blending PLA with the amorphous PPC led to a decrease of the spherulite size of PLA. The results of mechanical tests indicated that PPC-rich films showed high elongation at break and PLA-rich films showed high tear strength and good optical properties. The content of PPC and PLA significantly affected the physical properties of the films. With increasing PPC content, the melt strengths of the PPC/PLA/PPA films were enhanced. These findings contributed to the biodegradable materials application for designing and manufacturing polymer packaging.

Sustainable Blends of Poly(propylene carbonate)and Stereocomplex Polylactide with Enhanced Rheological Properties and Heat Resistance

Sustainable blends of poly(propylene carbonate)(PPC)and stereocomplex polylactide(sc-PLA)were prepared by melt blending equimolar poly(L-lactic acid)(PLLA)and poly(D-lactide acid)(PDLA)with PPC to form sc-PLA crystals in situ in the melt blending process.Differential seanning calorimetry analysis revealed that only sc-PLA,no homo-crystallization of PLLA or PDLA,formed in the PPC matrix as the sc-PLA con tent was more than 10 wt%.Very in triguingly,scan ning electronic microscopy observati on showed that sc-PLA was evenly dispersed in the PPC phase as spherical particles and the sizes of sc-PLA particles did not obviously increase with in creasing sc-PLA con tent.As a con seque nee,the rheological properties of PPC were greatly improved by incorporation of sc-PLA.When the sc-PLA con tent was 20 wt%,a percolati on n etwork structure was formed,and the blends showed solid-like behavior.The sc-PLA particles could reinforce the PPC matrix,especially at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of PPC.Moreover,the Vicat softening temperature of PPC/sc-PLA blends could be increased compared with that of neat PPC.

Biocompatibility evaluation of electrospun aligned poly(propylene carbonate) nanofibrous scaffolds with peripheral nerve tissues and cells in vitro

Background Peripheral nerve regeneration across large gaps is clinically challenging. Scaffold design plays a pivotal role in nerve tissue engineering. Recently, nanofibrous scaffolds have proven a suitable environment for cell attachment and proliferation due to similarities of their physical properties to natural extracellular matrix. Poly（propylene carbonate） （PPC） nanofibrous scaffolds have been investigated for vascular tissue engineering. However, no reports exist of PPC nanofibrous scaffolds for nerve tissue engineering. This study aimed to evaluate the potential role of aligned and random PPC nanofibrous scaffolds as substrates for peripheral nerve tissue and cells in nerve tissue engineering. Methods Aligned and random PPC nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning and their chemical characterization were carried out using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Dorsal root ganglia （DRG） from Sprague-Dawley rats were cultured on the nanofibrous substrates for 7 days. Neurite outgrowth and Schwann-ceU migration from DRG were observed and quantified using immunocytochemistry and SEM. Schwann cells derived from rat sciatic nerves were cultured in electrospun PPC scaffold-extract fluid for 24, 48, 72 hours and 7 days. The viability of Schwann cells was evaluated by 3-[4,5-dimethyl（thiazol-2-yl）-2,5-diphenyl] tetrazolium bromide （M]-F） assay. Results The diameter of aligned and random fibers ranged between 800 nm and 1200 nm, and the thickness of the films was approximately 10-20 IJm. Quantification of aligned fiber films revealed approximately 90% alignment of all fibers along the longitudinal axis. However, with random fiber films, the alignment of fibers was random through all angle bins. Rat DRG explants were grown on PPC nanofiber films for up to 1 week. On the aligned fiber films, the majority of neurite outgrowth and Schwann cell migration from the DRG extended unidirectionally, parallel to the aligned fibers. However, on the random fiber films, neurite outgrowth and Schwann cell migration were randomly distributed. A comparison of cumulative neurite lengths from cultured DRGs indicated that neurites grew faster on aligned PPC films （（2537.6±987.3） μm） than randomly-distributed fibers （（493.5±50.6） μm）. The average distance of Schwann cell migration on aligned PPC nanofibrous films （（2803.5±943.6） μm） were significantly greater than those on random fibers （（625.3±47.8） pm）. The viability of Schwann cells cultured in aligned PPC scaffold extract fluid was not significantly different from that in the plain DMEM/F12 medium at all time points after seeding. Conclusions The aligned PPC nanofibrous film, but not the randomly-oriented fibers, significantly enhanced peripheral nerve regeneration in vitro, indicating the substantial role of topographical cues in stimulating endogenous nerve repair mechanisms. Aligned PPC nanofibrous scaffolds may be a promising biomaterial for nerve regeneration.

MISCIBILITY,CRYSTALLIZATION AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF PPC/PBS BLENDS

In this paper, melt blends of poly（propylene carbonate） （PPC） with poly（butylene succinate） （PBS） were characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis （DMA）, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, tensile testing, wide-angle X-ray diffraction （WAXD）, polarized optical microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）. The results indicated that the glass transition temperature of PPC in the 90/10 PPC/PBS blend was decreased by about 11 K comparing with that of pure PPC. The presence of 10% PBS was partially miscible with PPC. The 90/10 PPC/PBS blend had better impact and tensile strength than those of the other PPC/PBS blends. The glass transition temperature of PPC in the 80/20, 70/30, and 60/40 PPC/PBS blends was improved by about 4.9 K, 4.2 K, and 13 K comparing with that of pure PPC, respectively; which indicated the immiscibility between PPC and PBS. The DSC results indicated that the crystallization of PBS became more difficult when the PPC content increased. The matrix of PPC hindered the crystallization process of PBS. While the content of PBS was above 20%, significant crystallization-induced phase separation was observed by polarized optical microscopy. It was found from the WAXD analysis that the crystal structure of PBS did not change, and the degree of crystallinity increased with increasing PBS content in the PPC/PBS blends.

Poly(ethylene carbonate)-based electrolytes with high concentration Li salt for all-solid-state lithium batteries

High-performance solid polymer electrolyte （SPE） has long been desired for the next-generation high energy density and safe rechargeable lithium batteries. A SPE composed of 80 wt% lithium bis（trifluo-romethanesulfonyl）imide （LiTFSI）, 20% poly（ethylene carbonate） （PEC） and a polyamide （PA） fiber membrane backbone was prepared by solution-casting method. This solid electrolyte exhibits quite high ionic conductivity and lithium ion transference number （t＋）, and excellent mechanical strength. The as-prepared solid electrolyte shows good wettability to porous electrodes during cycles, which is beneficial to form ionically conductive phase throughout porous electrodes. All-solid-state LiFePO4lLi cells assembled with the as-prepared solid electrolyte deliver a high initial discharge specific capacity of 125.7 mAh·g^-1 and good cycling stability at 55 ℃ （93.4% retention at 1C after 200 cycles）, and superior cycle performance. Outstanding electrochemical performance can be mainly ascribed to the improved ionic conductivity in the entire porous electrodes due to the good wettability of SPE.

Thermal,Mechanical and Rheological Properties of Biodegradable Poly(propylene carbonate) and Poly(butylene carbonate) Blends

Poly（propylene carbonate） （PPC） was melt blended in a batch mixer with poly（butylene carbonate） （PBC） in an effort to improve the toughness of the PPC without compromising its biodegradability and biocompatibility. DMA results showed that the PPC/PBC blends were an immiscible two-phase system. With the increase in PBC content, the PPC/PBC blends showed decreased tensile strength, however, the elongation at break was increased to 230% for the 50/50 PPC/PBC blend. From the tensile strength experiments, the Pukanszky model gave credit to the modest interfacial adhesion between PPC and PBC, although PPC/PBC was immscible. The impact strength increased significantly which indicated the toughening effects of the PBC on PPC. SEM examination showed that cavitation and shear yielding were the major toughening mechanisms in the blends subjected the impact tests. TGA measurements showed that the thermal stability of PPC decreased with the incorporation of PBC. Rheological investigation demonstrated that the addition of PBC reduced the value of storage modulus, loss modulus and complex viscosity of the PPC/PBC blends to some extent. Moreover, the addition of PBC was found to increase the processability of PPC in extrusion. The introduction of PBC provided an efficient and novel toughened method to extend the application area of PPC.

Magnesium Acetate Used as an Effective Catalyst for Synthesizing Aliphatic Polycarbonates via Melt Transesterification Process

High-molecular-weight aliphatic polycarbonates（APCs） were synthesized through a two-step transesterification process under solvent-free conditions. Oligomers with equal numbers of hydroxyl and phenyl carbonate terminal groups could be easily controlled by using equimolar amounts of diphenyl carbonate（DPC） and aliphatic diols as feedstocks in the first step. In the second step, the high-molecular-weight APCs can be obtained by connecting -OH with -OC（O）OC6H5 end-group upon removing the generated phenol at reduced pressure. Mg（OAc）2 was found to be the best catalyst for this process among the screened catalysts, which gave the poly（l,4-butylene carbonate）（PBC） a weight-average molecular weight（Mw） of 148600 and a yield of 84.8% under its suitable reaction conditions. In addition, based on the results of X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）, a possible reaction mechanism over Mg（OAe）2 was proposed for APCs synthesis.

Structure-Activity Correlations of Calcined Mg-Al Hydrocalcites for Aliphatic Polycarbonate Synthesis via Transesterification Process

Mg-A1 mixed oxides with different Mg/A1 molar ratio were prepared by thermal decomposition of hydrotalcite- like precursors at 500 ℃ for 5.0 h and used as catalysts for the transesterification of diphenyl carbonate with 1,4-butanediol to synthesize high-molecular-weight poly（butylene carbonate） （PBC）. The structure-activity correlations of these catalysts in this transesterification process were discussed by means of various characterization techniques. It was found that the chain growth for the formation of PBC can only be obtained through connecting -OH and -OC（C）OC6H5 end-group upon removing the generated phenol, and the sample with Mg/A1 molar ratio of 4.0 exhibited the best catalytic performance, giving PBC with Mw of 1.64 × 105 g/mol at 210℃ for 3.0 h. This excellent activity depended mainly on the specific surface area and basicity rather than pore structure or crystallite size of MgO.

Synthesis of Poly(isosorbide carbonate) via Melt Polycondensation Catalyzed by Ca/SBA-15 Solid Base

Ca/SBA-15 solid bases with different Ca/Si atomic ratios were prepared by a one-pot route and employed as catalysts for the production of poly（isosorbide carbonate） （PIC） from diphenyl carbonate and isosorbide via a transesterification polymerization process. The relationship between physicochemical properties and catalytic performance for Ca/SBA-15 in this melt process was investigated by means of various characterization techniques. It was found that basic site amount and strength were responsible for this transesterification process; the weak and medium basic sites inclined to promote polycondensation reaction. It was worth noting that strong basic sites could favor the decomposition of the resultant P/C, resulting in the decrease of weight-average molecular weight （Mw） and yield, and the sample with Ca/Si atomic ratio of 0.4 exhibited the best catalytic performance, giving PIC with Mw of 4.88 × 10^4 g/mol and Tg of 169 ℃ at the optimal conditions. This excellent activity can be ascribed to the presence of rich basic sites and specific basic strength on the surface of 0.4Ca/SBA-15.

Preparation of Chlorinated Poly(propylene carbonate) and Its Distinguished Properties

Poly（propylene carbonate） （PPC）, the copolymerization product of carbon dioxide and propylene oxide, was chlorinated for the first time in our laboratory. Nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） spectroscopy and ion chromatography test showed that chlorine atoms were successfully introduced onto the polymer chains of PPC. We named this newborn polymer material as chlorinated poly（propylene carbonate） （CPPC）. It is worth noting that the reaction conditions of the chlorination of PPC were quite mild, which could be easily and simply realized at industrial level. What is more important is that CPPC possessed many more distinguished properties in solubility, wettability, adhesiveness, and gas barrier compared with PPC. For example, the bonding strength of CPPC as thermal adhesive is nearly four times higher than that of PPC for wood, stainless steel and glass. The oxygen permeability coefficient of CPPC exhibits a decrease of 33% compared with that of PPC. Moreover, CPPC is quite stable in air, whereas it could be well biodegraded in soil compared with PPC. These results indicated that CPPC could be widely used in the fields of coating, adhesive, barrier materials and so on, which could greatly promote the development of PPC industry.

STEREOREGULAR POLY(CYCLOHEXENE CARBONATE)S:UNIQUE CRYSTALLIZATION BEHAVIOR

An example of crystalline CO2-based polymer from the asymmetric alternating copolymerization of CO2 and cyclohexene oxide is reported. Isotacticity of poly（cyclohexene carbonate） （PCHC） has the critical influence on the crystallinity, and only copolymers with a isotacticity of more than 90% are crystallizable. The stereoregular PCHC is a typical semi-crystalline thermoplastic, and possesses a high melting point （Tin） of 215-230℃ and a decomposition temperature of ca. 310℃. The spherulitic morphology of （R）-PCHC grows in a clockwise spiral from a center, and that of （S）-PCHC is a counterclockwise spiral, while the stereocomplex of （S）-PCHC/（R）-PCHC （1/1 mass ratio） presents lath-like dendritic crystal. The novel crystalline CO2-based polycarbonate represents a rare example of optically active polymers with unique crystallization behavior. Our findings reflect the critical influence of stereoregularity on the crystallization for this kind of polymeric materials, and may lead to developments of thermal-resistance CO2 copolymers for application in engineering thermoplastics.

Toughening of Poly(propylene carbonate) by Carbon Dioxide Copolymer Poly(urethane-amine) via Hydrogen Bonding Interaction

A carbon dioxide copolymer poly（urethane-amine） （PUA） was blended with poly（propylene carbonate） （PPC） in order to improve the toughness and flexibility of PPC without sacrificing other mechanical properties. Compared with pure PPC, the PPC/PUA blend with 5 wt% PUA loading showed a 400% increase in elongation at break, whilst the corresponding yielding strength remained as high as 33.5 MPa and Young＇s modulus showed slightly decrease. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction in PPC/PUA blends was comfirmed by FTIR, 2D IR and XPS spectra analysis, and finely dispersed particulate structure of PUA in PPC was observed in the SEM images, which provided good evidence for the toughening mechanism of PPC.