Poly(propylene isophthalate), poly(propylene succinate), and their random copolymers: Synthesis and thermal properties

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Poly(propylene isophthalate) (PPI), poly(propylene succinate) (PPS), and poly(propylene isophthalate/succinate) (PPI‐PPS) random copolymers were synthesized and characterized in terms of chemical structure and molecular weight. The thermal behavior was examined by TGA and DSC. All the polymers showed a good thermal stability. At room temperature, they appeared as semicrystalline materials, except 20PPI‐PPS and 30PPI‐PPS: the main effect of copolymerization was a lowering in the amount of crystallinity and a decrease of Tm with respect to homopolymers. A crystalline phase of PPI and PPS was evidenced at high content of PI or PS units, respectively. Amorphous samples were obtained after melt quenching and an increment of Tg, with the increment of PI units, was observed. This behavior was explained as due to the presence of stiff phenylene groups. The Wood equation described well Tg‐composition data. Lastly, the presence of a rigid‐amorphous phase was evidenced in copolymers, differently from the two homopolymers.