| Research Abstract |
1. Synthesis of Polyesters and Related Polymers Containing Sugar Diols : Series of polyesters, poly (ester amide) s, poly (ester carbonate) s, and polycarbontes were synthesized from sugar-based raw materials. Sugar diols such as 1, 4:3, 6-dianhydro-D-glucitol (DAG), 1, 4:3, 6-dianhydro-D-mannitol (DAM), 1, 4:3, 6-dianhydro-L-iditol (DAl) were chiefly employed as diol components in polycondensations. Dicarboxylic acid derivatives containing furan moieties were used as dicarboxylic acid components in some cases.
2. Biodegradability of Sugar-Based Polyesters and Related Polymers : The biodegradability of the sugar-based polyesters and the related polymers were examined by three different methods, i. e., soil burial degradation, activated sludge treatment, and enzymatic degradation tests. The biodegradability varied widely, depending on the molecular structure of the polymers. In general, polymers containing unsymmetrical DAG units showed higher biodegradability than the corresponding polymers containing symmetrical DAM and DAI units.
3. Synthesis of Chitin-graft-oligoesters and Related Polymer : Chitin-graft-oligoesters were prepared by the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone in the presence of partially deacetylated chitin (PDC) using water as a medium. A novel N-selective ester functionalized chitin derivative was prepared by a Michael-type nucleophilic addition of an amino group of PDC to ethyl acrylate in phosphate buffer/methanol. Poly (vinyl alcohol)-graft-oligoester was synthesized by the reaction of PVA and ε-caprolactone in DMSO. The biodegradability as well as the thermal and surface properties of these polymer films were examined in detail. On the basis of the present research, useful and important guidelines have been established for designing polyesters and related polymers having a controlled biodegradability from renewable sugar-based raw materials.
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