Studies on poly[acrylamide-co-(epsilon-caprolactone)]: Synthesis, characterization and biodegradability

The synthesis, characterization, hydrolysis and biodegradation of a copoly( ester amide), poly[acryl-amide-co-(epsilon -caprolactone)], are described. The hydrogen transfer copolymerization of acrylamide (AA),with epsilon -cap rolactone (CLN) in the presence of butyllithium or calcium hydride as initi ators has been investigated. The calcium hydride was effective for the synt hesis of the copoly(ester amide) in a wide range of polymer composition (AA /CLN = 10:90 to 90:10). The copoly(ester amide) was readily hydrolyzed in t he presence of hydroa. acid (0.1 N) at 125 degreesC in an autoclave (e.g. C LN = 59:41, degradation 93%), Furthermore, the copoly(ester amide) was hydr olyzed enzymatically by from Rhizopus arrhizus. The behavior of the hydroly sis differed to the non-enzymatic hydrolysis enzymatic hydrolyzability was remarkable in the range of the AA repeating unit (beta -alanine unit) from 10 to 40 mol% (e.g. AA/CLN = 27:73, degradation 44%), while, the degradabil ity for the non-enzymatic hydrolysis. The increasing AA repeating unit cont ent. The biodegradation of the copoly(ester amide) was evaluated using a st andard activated sludge (e.g. AA/CLN = 27:73 biodegradation 45%). The relat ionship between the biodegradation and the polymer composition was similar fut the standard activated sludge and the enzymatic hydrolysis.