Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Dicle, Diyarbakir, Turkey
Abstract:
Partially stereoregular poly(propylene oxide) samples were synthesized via reactions catalysed by a preformed analytically defined trimethylaluminium hydrolysate. These samples were fractionated into two contrastingly different fractions.
1. (i) D-polymers: This fraction constituted the major part (up to 90%). It mainly contained cyclic low molecular weight oligomers (MW < 1000). The linear chains found in D-polymers had hydroxyl end groups. No double bonds could be detected spectroscopically.
2. (ii) K-polymers: This fraction was high molecular weight stereoregular polymer. Stepwise thermal precipitation from dilute isooctane solution of K-polymers yielded a succession of fractions which differed in melting point. It appears that the phase equilibria during the thermal precipitations were not controlled by the molecular weights of species.