| RESEARCH |
investigating the use of Novozym 435 as a catalyst for the synthesis of hyperbranched aliphatic polyesters. The group showed that e-caprolactone, or d-valerolactone, and 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)butyric acid can be copolymerized using the catalyst to synthesize dendritic copolyesters. The copolymerizations can be carried out in solution and under bulk conditions.
Frey and coworkers used the method, which combines ROP of the lactone with polycondensation of the carboxylic acid, to prepare a series of hyperbranched copolyesters with different degrees of branching. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of hyperbranched polymers," Frey tells C&EN. "The strategy is broadly applicable to various other substrates. The synthetic conditions are mild, which means that it is possible to incorporate sensitive functional units."
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