Hinnerk Gordon Becker

Modification of polymers in the melt

The kinetics of polymer-analogue reactions in the melt are discussed with the example of conversions of styrene copolymers including anhydride or nitrile groups in the side chain and additives with amino and hydroxyl groups. Poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) has been modified with primary alcohols and amines, secondary amines, diamines, amino acids and amino alcohols. Poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) has been modified with various amino alcohols.

Chemical modification of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile with 2-aminoalcohols and 3-aminoalcohol

Nitrile groups of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) can be converted to 2-substituted Δ 2 -oxa-zoline using 2-aminoethanol. The formation of oxazoline in SAN can be significantly increased through addition of substituted aminoalcohols like 2-amino-2-ethylpropane-1,3-diol and 2-aminobutanol and through reaction with 3-aminopropanol using dibutyltin oxide as catalyst. Using this procedure, dihydro-4H-oxazine can be easily produced from 3-aminopropanol due to the lower ring tension in comparison with the five-membered oxazoline ring.