TY - JOUR A1 - Shaik, A.-A. A1 - Richter, M. A1 - Kricheldorf, H. A1 - Krüger, Ralph-Peter T1 - New polymer syntheses - CIX. Biodegradable, alternating copolyesters of terephthalic acid, aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, and alkane diols JF - Journal of polymer science A, polymer chemistry N2 - Copolyesters with an alternating sequence of terephthalic acid and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids were prepared with three different methods. First, dicarboxylic acid dichlorides were reacted with bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET) in refluxing 1,2-dichlorobenzene. Second, the same monomers were polycondensed at 0-20 °C in the presence of pyridine. Third, dicarboxylic acid dichlorides and silylated BHET were polycondensed in bulk. Only this third method gave satisfactory molecular weights. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry revealed that the copolyesters prepared by the pyridine and silyl methods might have contained considerable fractions of cyclic oligoesters and polyesters despite the absence of transesterification and backbiting processes. The alternating sequences and thermal properties were characterized with 1H NMR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry measurements, respectively. In agreement with the alternating sequence, all copolyesters proved to be crystalline, but the crystallization was extremely slow [slower than that of poly(ethylene terephthalate)]. A second series of alternating copolyesters was prepared by the polycondensation of silylated bis(4-hydroxybut- yl)terephthalate with various aliphatic dicarboxylic acid dichlorides. The resulting copolyesters showed significantly higher rates of crystallization, and the melting temperatures were higher than those of the BHET-based copolyesters. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3371-3382, 2001 KW - Poly(ethylene terephthalate) KW - Poly(butylene terephthalate) KW - Alternating sequence KW - Macrocycles KW - Crystallization KW - Biodegradable polyesters PY - 2001 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pola.1320 SN - 0360-6376 SN - 0887-624X VL - 39 IS - 19 SP - 3371 EP - 3382 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken, NJ AN - OPUS4-2173 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -