文摘
2,4:3,5-Di-O-methylene-d-mannitol, abbreviated as Manx, is a d-mannitol-derived compound with the secondary hydroxyl groups acetalized with formaldehyde. The bicyclic structure of Manx consists of two fused 1,3-dioxane rings, with two primary hydroxyl groups standing free for reaction. A homopolyester made of Manx and dimethyl terephthalate as well as a set of copolyesters of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) in which 1,4-butanediol was replaced by Manx up to 50% were synthesized and characterized. The polyesters had Mw in the 30鈥?00鈥?2鈥?00 g mol鈥? range and a random microstructure and were thermally stable up to nearly 370 掳C. They displayed outstanding high Tg with values from 55 to 137 掳C which steadily increased with the content in Manx. Copolyesters containing up to 40% of Manx were semicrystalline and adopted the crystal structure of PBT. Their stress鈥搒train parameters were sensitively affected by the presence of carbohydrate-based units with elongation at break decreasing but tensile strength and elastic moduli steadily increasing with the degree of replacement.