Polyglycolic acid and copolymers thereof from C1 feedstocks

摘要

A method of preparing a poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) from the C1 feedstocks carbon monoxide and formaldehyde or its equivalent. By controlling the comonomer feed ratios and the polymerization temperatures, high quality PGA can be prepared. The method is extended to copolymers of PGA where alkylene oxides or cyclic ether comonomers are included into the polymerization mixture with the C1 monomers to yield polyester-ether thermoplastics.

主权项

1. A method of preparing a biorenewable polyglycolic acid (PGA) comprising:
providing a pressure of carbon monoxide (CO); providing a solution of formaldehyde or a formaldehyde equivalent; mixing the solution with a strong Brønsted acid; and copolymerizing the CO and the formaldehyde or formaldehyde equivalent at a temperature in excess of 170° C., wherein the Brønsted acid has a pKa of less than −1, wherein the PGA has no readily observable acetal units.