Effect of the reactional variables on the synthesis of a functionalized biodegradable polymer: PCL-g-MA

ABSTRACT Poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) is a biodegradable synthetic thermoplastic that has been the focus of studies on new "green polymers", due mainly to its good mechanical properties, which makes it competitive among other conventional polymers and biopolymers, such as, Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and Poly(hydroxybutyrene) (PHB). The objective of this work was the grafting of maleic anhydride (MA) reactive groups in PCL for the production of a functional biodegradable polymer. The grafting synthesis of the maleic anhydride in the PCL occurred in an internal lab mixer, using concentrations of 2.5 and 5.0% MA and 0.3 and 0.5% of the dicumyl peroxide initiator (DCP) at two temperatures of process, 110°C and 160°C. The methodology of factorial planning 23 was used to optimize the experiments, as well as to evaluate the efficiency of the reaction conditions employed for PCL functionalization. The results indicated that maleic anhydride was grafted onto PCL using the dicumyl peroxide initiator. The percentage of graphitized maleic anhydride (% gMA) was obtained by titration and confirmed by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR). Through the obtained results it can be inferred that higher content (5.0%) of MA positively favored the grafting. However, over certain amount, a saturation of the system may occur and the tendency is for recombination.