Synthesis and Characterization of Biodegradable Hexabasic Aliphatic-Aromatic Copolyester

A series of aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters derived from diverse ratios of diols (ethylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol and 1,6-hexanediol) and diacids (succinic acid and dimethyl terephthalate) have been synthesized by melt polymerization. The optimal thermal and mechanical properties as well as biodegradability of prepared copolyesters have been investigated by controlling the content of diols and diacids monomers. Moreover, all synthesized polymers were spun into fibers by melt spinning for further tensile testing. The results indicated that all the synthesized aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters were degradable and the copolyester with the highest content of aliphatic units showed the better degradability. Moreover, degradability and elongation increased with the increment of aliphatic acid units in polymer although the tensile strengths and melting temperature were decreased.