Synthesis and Properties of Polylactide-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate) Copolymers with Degradable Main Backbone

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c02752
• Publication Date: 2025-01-08T07:49:06Z
• Authors: Marta Socka; Malgorzata Basko; Marek Brzeziński; Bartłomiej Kost

Graft copolymers of polylactide and oligo(methyl methacrylate) (PLA-g-MMA) were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) methyl methacrylate (MMA) using PLA containing 10 mol % acetal units functionalized with bromine or chlorine moieties as a multisite macroinitiator. The ultimate aim was to improve the miscibility PMMA preparing graft copolymers. MMA chosen model vinyl monomer investigate whether presented method allows synthesis required controlled topology molecular masses. First, PLA-based macroinitiators (Mn ∼ 10,000 g mol–1) obtained via cationic (co)polymerization l-LA (LA) cyclic acetals (2-bromomethyl-1,3-dioxolane─BrDXL 2-chloromethyl-1,3-dioxolane─ClDXL), carried out in presence ethylene glycol an initiator triflic acid catalyst. Subsequently, PLA-g-MMA different compositions (containing 60–80 MMA) pendant-activated groups (chlorides bromides) catalyst system consisting copper halides (CuBr CuCl) N,N,N,N″,N‴-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA). size exclusion chromatography (SEC) analysis revealed that PLLA-g-MMA molar mass 12,000–23,000 mol–1. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) all prepared only one Tg ranging from 55 82 °C, which us conclude components forming copolymer. Finally, thermal properties, susceptibility degradation, conditions for copolymeric particles investigated.