Thermal properties of the prepared saccharide- and lignin-based polyurethanes (PU's), and polycaprolactones (PCL's) were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG) and TG-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Glass transition temperatures (
Tg's), cold-crystallization temperatures (
Tcc's) and/or melting temperatures (
Tm's) of saccharide- and lignin-based PU's and PCL's were determined by DSC, and phase diagrams were obtained.
Tg's of saccharide- and lignin-based PU's increased with increasing saccharide and lignin contents, suggesting that those plant components act as a hard segment in PU's.
Tg's of saccharide- and lignin-based PCL's decreased with increasing CL/OH ratio until this ratio reaches a certain value (usually
ca. 10), suggesting that PCL chains act as a soft segment. However, when the CL/OH ratio becomes larger than the above certain value which is dependent on the kind of saccharides and lignin, the
Tg's of polycaprolactone derivatives increase with increasing CL/OH ratio because of the appearance of a crystalline structure. TG-FTIR analysis of lignin-based PCL's suggested that compounds having C-O-C, C=O and C-H groups are mainly produced by thermal degradation of PCL chains.
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