Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable aliphatic copolyesters with hydrophilic soft segments

In this study, the synthesis, structure and physical properties of two series of segmented poly(ester-ether)s based on poly(butylene succinate) and two different types of polyethers were investigated. The poly(ester-ether)s were synthesized by transesterification reaction of dimethyl succinate, 1,4-butanediol and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, M-n = 1000 g/mol) in the first series, and poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO, M-n = 1000 g/mol) in the second. The mass fraction of soft segments was varied between 10 and 50 mass. %. The effect of the introduction of two different polyether soft segments on the structure, thermal and rheological properties were investigated. The composition of the poly(ester-ether)s, determined from their H-1-NMR spectra, showed that incorporation of soft polyether segments was successfully performed by the transesterification reaction in bulk. The molecular weight was estimated from solution viscosity measurements and complex dynamic viscosities. The thermal proper-ties investigated by DSC indicated that the presence of soft segments lowers the melting and crystallization temperature of the hard phase, as well as the degree of crystallinity. Dynamical mechanical analysis was used to investigate the influence of composition on the rheological behavior of the segmented poly(ester-ether)s. The results obtained from an enzymatic degradation test performed on some of the synthesized polymers showed that the biodegradability is enhanced with increasing hydrophilicity.