Homopolymerization and copolymerization of a dilactone, 13,26-dihexyl-1,14-dioxa-cyclohexacosane-2,15-dione: Synthesis of bio-based polyesters and copolyesters consisting of 12-hydroxystearate sequences

A dilactone, 13,26-dihexyl-1,14-dioxacyclohexacosane-2,15-dione (12-HSAD), was synthesized by lipase-catalyzed reaction of 12-hydroxystearic acid (12-HSA) in high yield. It was subjected to the ring-opening polymerization with various catalysts to obtain poly(12-hydroxystearate) (PHS). The polymerization system of 12-HSAD showed an interesting polymerization behavior because of its large ring system. The polymers produced by this polymerization were directly reacted with L-lactide to obtain a diblock copolymer of poly(L-lactide)-block-poly-(12-hydroxystearate) (PLLA-b-PHS). Characterization of the resultant copolymers was also performed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011