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Published on: June 20, 2019
Synthesis of dendrigraft poly(ϵ-caprolactone)s using side hydroxyl groups for the grafting of branch chains
Juan Cheng1, Xiujun Ling, Zhenlin Zhong
1Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Dendrigraft poly(ϵ-caprolactone)s with high molecular weight and narrow polydispersity are synthesized via a convenient generation-growth approach. Copolymerization of ϵ-caprolactone (CL) and 4-(2-benzoxyethoxy)-ϵ-caprolactone (BECL) with stannous octanoate as a catalyst affords a functionalized poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) with benzyl-protected hydroxyl side groups. After removal of benzyl groups by palladium-catalyzed hydrogenolysis, the graft copolymerization of CL and BECL onto the hydroxyl-bearing linear polyester (zero-generation) affords the first-generation graft polyester. Further deprotection and graft polymerization cycles led to dendrigraft polyesters. Molecular weights are multiplied in each graft copolymerization. The second-generation dendrigraft poly(ϵ-caprolactone) has an M(w) of 236 000 g·mol(-1) and M(w) /M(n) of 1.53.
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