Hydrogen-bonding interaction between poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and low-molecular-weight amino compounds

The specific interactions between several low-molecular-weight diamino comp ounds and poly(epsilon -caprolactone) (PCL) have been investigated by FT-IR . It was found that PCL and 3,3'-diaminodiphenylmethane (3,3'-DADPM) intera ct through strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the blend. Thermal and m echanical properties of PCL/3,3'-DADPM blends were investigated by DSC and tensile measurements, respectively. The glass transition temperature of the blend increases while both the melting point and the elongation-at-break o f the blend decrease with the increase of 3,3'-DADPM content. Besides 3,3'- DADPM, several other low-molecular-weight compounds containing two amino gr oups, such as omicron -phenylenediamine or 1,6-diaminohexane, were also add ed into PCL and the corresponding blend systems were investigated by FT-IR and DSC. The effect of the chemical structure of the additives on the prope rties of PCL is discussed. (C) 2001 Society of Chemical Industry.