MORPHOSPECIFIC POLYMER FROM THE COPOLYMERIZATION OF TRIOXANE AND ETHYLENE-OXIDE

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.