Synthesis of poly(butylene succinate)

A poly(butylene succinate)(PBS) with higher relative molecular weight was synthesized by direct esterification-polycondensation of succinic acid(SA) and 1,4-butanediol(BD),and it was the first time to investigate the side reaction of esterification in PBS by using refractometric analysis.The results showed that the esterification rate was significantly affected by SA/BD ratio,temperature and catalysts.The side reaction increased with the increase of the amount of BD and rising of the temperature.The viscosity-average molecular weight of the synthesized PBS was from 5.7×104 g/mol to 8.0×104 g/mol,and the highest molecular weight PBS was obtained when the esterification temperature was 150 ℃,SA/BD ratio was 1∶1.2,the amount of titanium catalyst was 0.1% of SA(mole ratio),and the temperature of polycondensation was 220 ℃.