

FOLLOWUS
a.School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering/State Key Laboratory Incubation Base for Green Processing of Chemical Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China
b.Xinjiang Blue Ridge Tunhe Polyester Co., Ltd., Changji 831100, China
wzq20070420@163.com or wzq_yh@shzu.edu.cn
Received:20 September 2025,
Accepted:11 December 2025,
Online First:06 February 2026,
Published:15 March 2026
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Du, X. C.; Li, Z. C.; Mao, A. M.; Wang, P. X.; Ma, J.; Wang, Z. Q. Synthesis and properties of poly(ethylene succinate)-b-poly(butylene carbonate) multiblock copolymers. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 743–755
Xu-Cheng Du, Zhen-Chao Li, Ai-Min Mao, et al. Synthesis and Properties of Poly(ethylene succinate)-
Du, X. C.; Li, Z. C.; Mao, A. M.; Wang, P. X.; Ma, J.; Wang, Z. Q. Synthesis and properties of poly(ethylene succinate)-b-poly(butylene carbonate) multiblock copolymers. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 743–755 DOI: 10.1007/s10118-025-3532-2.
Xu-Cheng Du, Zhen-Chao Li, Ai-Min Mao, et al. Synthesis and Properties of Poly(ethylene succinate)-
Poly(ethylene succinate)-
b
-poly(butylene carbonate) (PES-
b
-PBC) multiblock copolymers were synthesized
via
chain extension. When prepolymer molecular weight is below 2000 g/mol
PES and PBC become fully miscible
enhancing compatibility. Incorporating PBC tunes crystallinity
mechanical properties
and degradation
yielding tough
biodegradable materials with promising applications.
In this study
a series of poly(ethylene succinate)-
b
-poly(butylene carbonate) (PES-
b
-PBC) multiblock copolymers were prepared through the chain-extension reaction of hydroxyl-terminated PES (PES-OH) and hydroxyl-terminated PBC (PBC-OH) prepolymers with 1
6-hexmethylene diisocyanate (HDI) as a chain extender. The effects of the prepolymer molecular weight and content on the structure and application properties of the PES-
b
-PBC copolymers were systematically investigated using various techniques. It was found th
at the compatibility of PES and PBC blocks in PES-
b
-PBC copolymers can be greatly enhanced by lowering the length of the prepolymers
and the amorphous phase of the PES and PBC chain segments in the PES-
b
-PBC copolymer would transform from immiscibility and partial miscibility to miscibility when the number-average molecular weight (
M
n
) of the PES-OH and PBC-OH prepolymers is less than 2000 g/mol. Only the crystal structure of bare PES can be observed in the wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) spectrum of the PES-
b
-PBC copolymers
but their crystallinity degrees were found to decrease with increasing PBC fraction. The thermal behavior
crystallization performance
rheological properties
mechanical properties
and degradation properties of the PES-
b
-PBC multiblock copolymers can be easily modulated by altering the block length and composition of the prepolymers
offering potential applications in biodegradable materials.
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