The use of the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) in copolymer synthesis has received much interest, as the microbial polyester segments can bring interesting properties, such as biodegradability and biocompatibility. The synthesis, properties, and applications of graft copolymers containing poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) as main chain or branches are reviewed here, with emphasis on the different preparation methods, which fit into the three main synthesis strategies of graft copolymers: “grafting onto”, “grafting from”, and “grafting through” or macromonomer methods.Key words: poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates), graft copolymer, synthesis, properties, applications.
This article reports the synthesis of well-defined graft copolymers containing a PHEA backbone and degradable PDMAEA side chains, by the combination of RAFT polymerization, SET-LRP, and the grafting-from strategy.
This article reports the first synthesis of well-defined double hydrophilic graft copolymers with a PHEA backbone, by the combination of RAFT polymerization, SET-LRP, and a grafting-from strategy.
The controlled ring-opening polymerisation (ROP) of α-bromo-ε-caprolactone (αBrCL), a derivative of ε-caprolactone (εCL), and its copolymerisation with εCL is reported.
We report a facile ‘grafting from’ approach to graft copolymers with polyamide backbones and controlled vinyl polymer or polyester side chains. Two polyamides with in situ-formed pendant bromide or hydroxyl groups were obtained by Passerini-based multicomponent polymerization. They were used respectively to initiate the atom-transfer radical polymerization of vinyl monomers or the ring-opening polymerization of lactones to generate two new types of graft copolymers. One of the important features of the method is that the pendant initiators are generated in situ from non-branching monomers, and they are linked to the polymer backbone by ester bonds. Therefore, the vinyl polymer side chains could be detached from the backbones, and their structures could thus be fully characterized. Moreover, multicomponent polymerization and atom-transfer radical polymerization can even be carried out in a one-pot manner.
First double hydrophilic graft copolymer bearing a poly(2-hydroxylethyl acrylate) backbone synthesized by sequential RAFT polymerization and SET-LRP