Thermal analysis of new glycopolymers derived from monosaccharides

A novel monomer carrying carbohydrate moiety was prepared by simple reaction of methacrylic acid with 3-O-(2',3'-epoxy-propyl)-1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-alpha-d-glucofuranose. Another d-glucose oligomer was synthesized by the polycondensation of a dicarboxylic acid including the carbohydrate residue into the main polymeric chain, 3-O-benzyl-5,6-(bis-O-(acryloyloxy))-1,2-di-O-isopropylidene-alpha-d-glucofuranose, with propane-1,3-diol using p-toluenesulfonic acid as catalyst. These products were copolymerized with styrene and 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, respectively, at different mass ratios, using benzoyl peroxide as initiator. Differential scanning calorimetry was performed in order to study the copolymerization process of the monomer and oligomer into the chosen co-monomers, respectively, and the activation energy of this process was evaluated using Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) method. The storage and loss modulus of the obtained glycopolymers were evaluated using dynamic mechanical analysis. The thermal stability of the obtained products was studied via thermogravimetry.