Synthesis And Properties Of Biodegradable Thermoplastic Elastomers Using 2-Methyl-1,3-Propanediol, Succinic Acid And Lactide

Triblock copolymers, poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(2-methyl-1,3-propanediyl succinate)-b-poly(L-lactide) (PLLA-b-PMPS-b-PLLA), were synthesized as new biodegradable thermoplastic elastomers by two-step polymerization. In the first step, hydroxy-telechelic poly(2-methyl-1,3-propanediyl succinate) (PMPS) was synthesized from 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (MP, small excess) and succinic acid (SA) using two-stage reaction of esterification and simple polycondensation processes. In the second step, plant derived L-lactide (LLA) was polymerized using the bifunctional PMPS as a macroinitiator to synthesize PLLA-b-PMPS-b-PLLA triblock copolymers. The structures of the triblock copolymers as well as the PMPS macroinitiator were characterized by NMR and GPC analysis. PMPS is an amorphous polymer with T-g at lower than -24 degrees C. The triblock copolymers also exhibited low T-g for the PMPS segment at lower than -20 degrees C as well as T-m, at around 150 degrees C for the PLLA segment. The tensile tests of the triblock copolymers demonstrated their low modulus and high elongation. The biodegradation tests of these polymers were also performed using enzymes and seawater to reveal their biodegradability. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.