Biocatalytic synthesis of organo-siloxane copolymers for flame retardant applications

POLY 533

Ravi Mosurkal, Ravi_Mosurkal@uml.edu, Nanomaterials Science team, US Army Natick Soldier Center, Kansas street, Natick, MA 01760, Vincent B Tucci, Institute for NanoScience and Engineering Technology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Chemistry, 1 University Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854-5009, Lynne A. Samuelson, Nanomaterials Science Team, U.S. Army Natick Soldier, RDECOM, Natick, MA 01760, Ferdinando Bruno, Ferdinando_Bruno@uml.edu, U.S Army Natick Soldier Center, RDECOM, Kansas street, Natick, MA 01760, Phillip R. Westmoreland, westm@ecs.umass.edu, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 159 Goessmann Lab, 686 N. Pleasant, Amherst, MA 01003-9303, Jayant Kumar, jayant_kumar@uml.edu, Center for Advanced Materials, University of Massachusetts - Lowell, Department of Chemistry and Physics, One University Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854, and Arthur C. Watterson, Arthur_Watterson@uml.edu, Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering Technology and Center for Advanced Materials, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Department of Chemistry, Lowell, MA 01854.
Biocatalytic synthesis of polymers is of great importance in making functional materials using “green” environmentally benign conditions. Enzyme mediated synthesis has several advantages which include, environmental compatibility, economical synthesis, ease of processability and stability. Regioselectivity and enantioselectivity are their strength in making transformations/modifications involving polymers of interest. Research in the area of flame retardant (FR) materials is of growing interest due to their innumerable applications in clothing, housing, aviation and telecommunications. Halogen based flame retardant polymers, until recently were a cost effective solution to FR materials, but are now banned due to the release of toxic gases upon combustion. Thus, there exists the need to develop environmentally-safe, economical and processable polymers with efficient flame retardant properties. We have recently shown that biocatalytically synthesized siloxane based organic-inorganic hybrid polyesters and polyamides have great potential as FR materials. In this paper, we present the synthesis, characterization and thermal properties of a novel siloxane-aryl copolyimide which has improved thermal decomposition temperature. We also present the flame retardant properties of this polymer measured by Pyrolysis-Combustion Flow Calorimetry (PCFC).

 

Silicones and Silicone-Modified Materials
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Tuesday, 12 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Hall D, Poster

Division of Polymer Chemistry

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006