Polymerization of lactams. 99 Preparation of polyesteramides by the anionic copolymerization of ε-caprolactam and ε-caprolactone

Polyesteramides derived from the cyclic monomers ε-caprolactam and ε-caprolactone have been synthesized by the anionic polymerization and characterized. ε-Caprolactam magnesium bromide was employed as unique initiator giving high yield of copolymer across the whole range of monomer concentrations at 150 °C. Owing to a variation of the content of ester and amide component in polyesteramide backbone a large variety of materials having diverse physico-chemical and mechanical properties have been prepared. Materials prepared were examined for mechanical characteristic. Thermal properties were characterized using DSC, temperature modulated DSC, Hi-ResTM TGA and DMA. Viscosity measurements were employed for molecular characterization.