PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF BIODEGRADABLE HYPERBRANCHED POLYESTER POLYOL BASED ON 2,2-BIS(METHYLOL)PROPIONIC ACID

Abstract

Synthetic surfactants have a wide application in various areas from medicine to agriculture, with biodegradable surfactants holding the greatest promise. Promising compounds for the synthesis of such surfactants are polyethylene oxide and polymers are the poly(α-hydroxyacid)s: polylactide (i.e. PLA), polyglycolide (i.e. PGA), poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and their copolymers. Because the biodegradation of polymeric surfactants yields natural metabolites, their medical and biotechnological applications are most attractive. A number of studies shows advantages of branched polymer surfactants compared linear surfactants, however, systematic studies of the correlation between the branched structures of amphiphilic copolymers and their surface activities are absent. Hyperbranched polyester polyol based on 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid are widely used as modifiers of polymeric materials (for example, in the manufacture of paintwork materials), additives for polymers to improve extrusion and also as nanocontainers for targeted drug delivery. In the present study the colloidal chemical properties of the polyether polyol 2,2-bis (methylol) propionic acid of the fourth pseudo generation (trade name Boltorn H40) were studied and it was shown that they reduce the interfacial tension at the hydrocarbon solution of surfactant/water to low.

Keywords

• biodegradable polymers
• hyperbranched polymers
• surfactants
• nanoparticles