Japan Society for the Promotion of Science:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
Date (from‐to) : 1999 -2002
Author : YOSHIDA Yasuhiko; FUKUSHIMA Yasumasa; ISHII Shigeru
The Chitin-and Chitosan-graft-aliphatic polyesters, in which both the stem and the graft are biodegradable, were synthesized for the first time in one pot by the lipase-catalyzed graft polymerization of β-butyrolactone (β-BL) and ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) onto chitin and chitosan. The reactivity orders of the natural polymers and lactones were found to bechitosan>chitin=ε-CL>β-BL>>γ-BL (no reaction). All the graft polymers prepared were swollen in organic solvents, such as chloroform.