Thermal properties. DSC analysis of poly(xylitol sebacate-co-butylene sebacate) PXBS

In this work, a bio-based copolyester with good mechanical properties was synthesized and
characterized in terms of structure, main properties and biodegradability Determining the chemical
structure of such materials is important to understand their behavior and properties. Performing
an extraction of insoluble cross-linked polymer using di erent solvents allowed us to analyze how
the polymer behaves when subjected to di erent chemical environments, and to obtain soluble
samples suitable for more in-depth analysis. Chemical structure of poly (xylitol sebacate-co-butylene
sebacate) was determined by a 1H NMR and FTIR analysis of both prepolymer gel sample and
samples obtained by extraction of cross-linked polymer using di erent solvents. Block structure of
the copolymer was confirmed by both NMR and DSC. Gel fraction, swelling value, water contact
angle, and mechanical properties were also analyzed. Biodegradability of this material was confirmed
by performing enzymatic and hydrolytic degradation. Synthesizing sugar-alcohol based copolyester
using three monomers leads to obtaining a material with interesting chemical structure and desirable
mechanical properties comparable to conventional elastomers.