Synthesis of polyesters by emulsion polycondensation reaction in water

Abstract

Polyesters were prepared from dicarboxylic acids and diols in the presence of a surfactant under mild conditions below 100 °C in water. The results of polycondensation on various conditions in the presence of p-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid(DBSA) show that polyesters were obtained in a good yield from sebacic acid and decanediol in water at 70 °C. The molecular weight of the resulting polyesters were approximately 2000-5000 by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) in a chloroform eluent. The molecular weight distribution from this emulsion polycondensation was below Mw/Mn = 2.0. The particle size of these misells from this emulsion polycondensation were ca. 4-6 μm. Esterfication in water might occur in misells having hydrophobic media from DBSA, which may play a role as the catalyst of esterification and also misell formation for this emulsion polycondensation in a water medium.