Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene oxide)/polylactide/poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer

Soo Hong Lee, Soo Hyun Kim, Yang Kyoo Han, Young Ha Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Poly(ethylene oxide/polylactide/poly(ethylene oxide)) (PEO/PL/PEO) triblock copolymers, in which each block is connected by an ester bond, were synthesized by a coupling reaction between PL and PEO. Hydroxyl-terminated PLs with various molecular weights were synthesized and used as hard segments. Hydroxyl-terminated PEOs were converted to the corresponding acid halides via their acid group and used as a soft segment. Triblock copolymers were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H NMR, and gel permeation chromatography. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffractometry of PEO/PL/PEO triblock copolymers suggested that PL and PEO blocks were phase-separated and that the crystallization behavior of the PL block was markedly affected by the presence of the PEO block. PEO/PL/PEO triblock copolymers with PEO 0.75k had two exothermic peaks (by DSC), and both peaks were related to the crystallization of PL. According to thermogravimetric analysis, PEO/PL/PEO triblock copolymer showed a higher thermal stability than PL or PEO.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2545-2555
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Polymer Science, Part A: Polymer Chemistry
Volume40
Issue number15
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Aug 2002

Keywords

  • Biodegradable
  • Biodegradable polymer
  • Biomaterials
  • Block copolymers
  • Poly(ethylene oxide)
  • Polylactide
  • Triblock copolymer

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