Aliphatic-aromatic polyesters commercial products

Thermoplastic copolyester elastomers are generally block copolymers produced from short-chain aliphatic diols, aromatic diacids, and polyalkylene ether-diols. They are often called polyesterether or polyester elastomers. The most significant commercial product is the copolymer from butane-1,4-diol, dimethyl terephthalate, and polytetramethylene ether glycol [25190-06-1/, which produces a segmented block copolyesterether with the following structure. 

Among the polyesters there are neither purely aliphatic nor fully aromatic products as commercial products which are available or suitable... 

Attempts had been made to synthesise polyesters based on phthalic acid as the diacid component, but these products were amorphous, had low softening points, and were rapidly attacked by organic solvents and acids and bases. Research into polyesters made by the reaction of terephthalic acid (or esters thereof) with aliphatic diols, led to the discovery of polyesters of high commercial value poly(alkylene terephthalate)s [4]. This pairing of diols with terephthalic acid eventually led to the most commercially successful aromatic polyesters, but other synthetic pathways were also investigated towards such products in the early days of polyester development. These included the self-condensation of hydroxy acids of the structure -H0-R-Ph-C02H, where R-OH is para to the acid group and R is -(CH2)- or -(CH2)2- [5], and reactions of aliphatic diacids with 1,4-dihydroxy benzene and similar aromatic diols [6, 7]. Also synthesised about the same time were polyesters based on C2-Cg aliphatic diols and any of the isomeric naphthalene dicarboxylic acids [8]. 

As a result of the DuPont patents for nylon, in 1937 Whinfield and Dickson, of the Calico Printers Association in England, became interested in polyesters based on aromatic dicaiboxyhc acids and ethylene glycol. Carotheis had, of course, abandoned his own early work following the disappointing results with aliphatic dicarboxylic acids. Whinfield and Dickson quickly produced a long-chain polyester and decided to patent the discoveiy, which was eventually licensed to ICI. The patent was actually granted in 1941 and ICl built the first commercial production unit in late 1954. ... 

Polycarbonates are polyesters of carbonic acid formed by reaction of diols (aromatic, aliphatic or a mixture of both) with a derivative of carbonic acid. The first preparations of polycarbonates were reported by Einhorn in 1898 [155], by reaction of phosgene with resorcinol or hydroquinone in a pyridine solution. Bischoff and van Hedenstrom in 1902 [156] obtained the same aromatic polycarbonates via transesterification with diphenyl carbonate (DPC). Thus the main routes to polycarbonates were established early, but the properties of the products seemed uninteresting. Around 1930 aliphatic polycarbonates were studied by Carothers and van Natta [157]. These carbonates have low melting points and thermal resistance and are not commercially interesting as stand-alone thermoplastics. Low molecular... 

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