K. Matsuzaki et al., MORPHOSPECIFIC POLYMER FROM THE COPOLYMERIZATION OF TRIOXANE AND ETHYLENE-OXIDE, Journal of polymer science. Part A, Polymer chemistry, 35(12), 1997, pp. 2479-2486
Recently, we have observed the following phenomena during the copolyme
rization of trioxane and ethylene oxide using a boron trifluoride init
iator. In almost all of the polymerization cases, all polymers were so
luble in a p-chlorophenol-tetrachloroethane mixed solvent at 90 degree
s C. However, in some polymerization cases, a small portion of the pol
ymer was insoluble at this temperature, and this mixed solvent-insolub
le fraction showed a higher melting point than that of the other fract
ions. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs of the polymer sh
owed that a highly fibrous structure was formed for the mixed solvent-
insoluble fraction, and this highly packed structure is thought to be
the origin of the high melting fraction. The nature of this high melti
ng fraction was further examined using X-ray diffraction and Raman spe
ctra. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.