Aliphatic Polyesters as Building Blocks for New Materials

Since their commercial introduction by Shell in 1965, the poly(styrene-b-(buta-diene or isoprene)-b-styrene) triblock copolymers (SBS or SIS) have attracted a 

Of prime interest are the tensile properties summarized in Table 4, and typical of stress-strain curves exhibited by thermoplastic elastomers. The elongation and strength at break were measured above 1000% and 50 MPA, respectively. Both the tensile modulus and the stress at yield increased by increasing the PCL relative content whereas, as expected, the ultimate elongation at break slightly decreased. 

To sum up, the living character of the aluminum alkoxide mediated ROP of lactones has permitted the synthesis of novel ABA triblock copolymers, the composition and molecular weight of which can purposely be tuned up for displaying excellent elastomeric properties. Interestingly, the inherent biodegradability of each partner, PCL and PDXO, would open up new applications for these novel thermoplastic elastomers. 

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