Molecules (Oct 2022)

Promoting Co-Crystallization in Poly(butylene succinate) and Poly(butylene fumarate) Blends via End-Group Functionalization

  • Xue-Wei Wei,
  • Cong Chen,
  • Tian-Yu Wu,
  • Li-Hai Cai,
  • Hai-Mu Ye

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27207086
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 20
p. 7086

Abstract

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Co-crystallization plays a crucial role in the integration and regulation of thermal and mechanical properties in polymer blends, but the poor compatibility of the components in the crystal phase has always been a major obstacle to co-crystallization, which puts forward stricter requests for linkage and interaction between different entities. On the basis of the hydrogen-bonding interaction that can promote chain stacking and thus improve miscibility, we propose that crystalline/crystalline blends of 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy)-functionalized poly(butylene succinate) and poly(butylene fumarate) (PBS-UPy/PBF-UPy) where UPy groups with quadruple hydrogen-bonding interaction are employed to connect different chain ends, could inhibit phase separation and improve co-crystallization. PBS-UPy/PBF-UPy blends exhibit complex component-dependent and cooling-rate-dependent co-crystallization behavior. A high level of co-crystallization occurs in the range of PBS-UPy-rich fractions, and the proportion could approach over 98% under optimized conditions with the aid of UPy quadruple hydrogen bonds interaction. This work enriches the understanding of co-crystallization in crystalline/crystalline polymer blends and provides more possibility for the design of structures and properties of polymer materials.

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