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Thermally Initiated Trans-esterification in Poly(ε-caprolactone) and Its Dependence on Molecular Weight

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Abstract

Biodegradability and biocompatibility of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) are the prime properties which advanced the use of this polymer in fields of tissue engineering and biomedicals. Being an aliphatic polyester, PCL is prone to undergo trans-esterification which is one of the mechanisms reported for its degradation besides being used in making its copolymers. Trans-esterification occurs both, inter- and intra-molecularly and in this work we report that the mechanism of trans-esterification depends on the molecular weight of the polymer when it is subjected to 160 °C for time up to 24 h. For low molecular weight PCL (Mp = 10,000 g/mol) inter-molecular trans-esterification is the predominant mechanism while for the high molecular weight PCL (Mp = 80,000 g/mol) it is intra-molecular. A mid molecular weight PCL (Mp = 43,000 g/mol) showed presence of both, inter- as well as intra-molecular trans-esterification, when heated at 160 °C for 24 h. A decrease in relative crystallinity for all the samples showed reduction in crystalline component of the polymer confirming occurrence of trans-esterification at chosen conditions. An increase in tensile strength and modulus is observed after treatment at 160 °C for 24 h due to formation of more entangled network of polymer chains as a result of trans-esterification reactions.

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Acknowledgments

Authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Department of Science and Technology India to perform this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India

    Jit Pal, Sunita Sanwaria, Aman Choudhary, Kapeesh Thakur, Bhanu Nandan & Rajiv K. Srivastava

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  1. Jit Pal
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  2. Sunita Sanwaria
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  3. Aman Choudhary
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  4. Kapeesh Thakur
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  5. Bhanu Nandan
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  6. Rajiv K. Srivastava
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Correspondence to Rajiv K. Srivastava.

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Pal, J., Sanwaria, S., Choudhary, A. et al. Thermally Initiated Trans-esterification in Poly(ε-caprolactone) and Its Dependence on Molecular Weight. J Polym Environ 22, 479–487 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-014-0669-4

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