Solid State Polycondensation in Dispersed Medium of 11-Aminoundecanoic Acid

• Published in: Macromolecular chemistry and physics Vol. 202; no. 2; pp. 362 - 375
• Main Authors: Pasquet, V., Spitz, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH 01.01.2001; WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH; Wiley
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polycondensation; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; Amide 11 polymer; Self condensation; Aminoacid; Preparation; Dispersed medium; Condensation polymerization; Liquid solid reaction; Experimental study
• ISSN: 1022-1352; 1521-3935
• DOI: 10.1002/1521-3935(20010101)202:2<362::AID-MACP362>3.0.CO;2-H

The polycondensation of 11‐aminoundecanoic acid was carried out in the solid state in dispersed medium: Decalin which is an inert saturated cyclic hydrocarbon and does not react with the monomer and the condensation by product, water, was added to the monomer. In order to avoid a coagulation of the reaction mixture, an original strategy was developed using a liquid‐solid dispersion instead of a liquid‐liquid dispersion as described in the few studies reported in the literature for the polycondensation of this monomer. A liquid‐liquid suspension step was used at the early beginning of the reaction in order to melt, disperse and break the crystallinity of the monomer, then, the liquid droplets were solidified by cooling. During the polycondensation, the temperature was raised in successive steps in order to maintain the particles in the solid state. With a convenient treatment, it was possible to obtain a polymer powder with a defined particle size distribution and to reach fairly high molecular weights.