New bifunctional monomers from methyl vinyl glycolate†
Abstract
Methyl vinyl glycolate (MVG) can be obtained by acid-catalyzed conversion of C4 and C6 sugars. Applications of MVG in polymers are so far limited to its use as co-monomer for poly(lactic acid) and as crosslinking agent. In this work, hydroformylation and methoxycarbonylation of MVG were investigated to produce novel bifunctional monomers. Polyesters with high renewable-atom content were successfully prepared and characterized.