Enzymatic template polymerization of phenol in the presence of water-soluble polymers in an aqueous medium

Abstract

The enzymatic polymerization of phenol was investigated by using water-soluble polymers (WSPs) as template in an aqueous medium. The addition of PEG, one of WSPs, produced a miscible complex of polyphenol and PEG as precipitates in high yields. CD measurement verified the formation of a phenol-PEG complex by hydrogen bonding interaction. The presence of PEG in an aqueous medium greatly improved the regioselectivity of the polymerization, yielding a polyphenol with the phenylene unit content higher than 90%. The amount of PEG strongly affected the polyphenol yield. The unit molar ratio of polyphenol and PEG was ca. 1:1. The FT IR, DSC, and XRD analyses exhibited the formation of the miscible complex of polyphenol and PEG by hydrogen bonding interaction.