Synthesis of biorenewable and water-degradable polylactam esters from itaconic acid
Itaconic acid, a naturally occurring compound mass-produced via fermentation of glucose, was reacted with ethanolamine or ethylene diamine to afford hydroxy-acid or diacid monomers containing the 2-pyrrolidone lactam. Homopolymerization or copolymerization with diols, respectively, yielded polylactam esters with higher glass transition temperatures and faster hydrolytic degradation compared to the commercial polyester polylactic acid (PLA).
Qi, Pengxu,Chen, Hsiao-Li,Nguyen, Ha Thi Hoang,Lin, Chu-Chieh,Miller, Stephen A.