Polymer stain resistance: Prediction versus experiment

Organo-catalyzed synthesis of aliphatic polycarbonates in solvent-free conditions

A new efficient and expeditious route to the synthesis of aliphatic polycarbonates, in solvent-free conditions and using 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-2-carboxylate (BMIM-2-CO2) as a catalyst precursor, is described. The protocol consists of a two-step polymerization process involving the transesterification of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) with linear alkane diols and leading to high molecular weight homopolymers. The reaction went to completion quantitatively with the liberation of methanol as the only by-product. The in situ formation of N-heterocyclic carbene species resulting from BMIM-2-CO2 decarboxylation is suggested to be a key feature of the condensation process. The protocol was then …

1-n-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium-2-carboxylate: a versatile precatalyst for the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone and rac-lactide under solvent-free conditions

The ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) and rac-lactide (rac-LA) under solvent-free conditions and using 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-2-carboxylate (BMIM-2-CO2) as precatalyst is described. Linear and star-branched polyesters were synthesized by successive use of benzyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, glycerol and pentaerythritol as initiator alcohols, and the products were fully characterized by 1H and 13C{1H} NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). BMIM-2-CO2 acts as an N-heterocyclic carbene precursor, resulting from in situ decarboxylation, either by heating under vacuo (method A) or by addition of NaBPh4 (method B)…