Abstract
We have developed multiblock aromatic/aliphatic condensation polymers, comprising side-chain biofunctionalized aliphatic oligocarbonates and biobased aromatic ester triad mesogens up to 17 wt %. Nanosegregation of the aromatic mesogen-rich domains with diameters of approximately 10 nm from the soft aliphatic polymer matrix is suggested by atomic force microscopy. The polymers exhibit rubberlike properties, unlike the corresponding aliphatic polycarbonate forming viscous liquid. These properties support the interchain interactions between the aromatic mesogens, which can serve as physical cross-linking. The aromatic ester triad mesogens in the multiblock polymers significantly bolster the tolerance to organocatalytic hydrolysis and methanolysis of the polymer chains but are eventually degraded. The multiblock polymers show degradation behavior slightly faster than poly(L-lactide), whereas poly(ethylene terephthalate) remains intact under the same condition. The present study demonstrates the efficacy of aromatic ester triad mesogens incorporated into the sequences of biodegradable aliphatic polycarbonates to enhance their physical properties while retaining degradability.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 10285–10293 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Macromolecules |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue number | 23 |
| Early online date | 15 Nov 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 13 Dec 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Acknowledgments:This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI grants (JP19H05714, JP19H05715, and JP19H05716), JST PRESTO grant (JPMJPR21N7), JST SPRING grant (JPMJSP2108), and Eno Science Foundation. Dr. Junya Uchida of The University of Tokyo is thanked for the valuable discussion and technical support on XRD and POM analyses. The authors are grateful to Dr. Yoshihisa Fujii of Mie University for helpful advice and discussion on AFM studies. The authors thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing.