Synthesis and anionic polymerization of isosorbide mono-epoxides for linear biobased polyethers

A series of regioisomeric isosorbide mono-epoxides, as well as diastereomerically pure mono-epoxy derivatives, have been prepared and studied. Anionic ring-opening polymerization of methoxy-capped monomers produced linear polyethers tethered with isosorbide units. These reasonably high molecular weight polymers exhibited glass transition temperatures at around 10-15 degrees C and thermal stability up to similar to 300 degrees C, which indicated that the mono-epoxides are promising building blocks for well-defined biobased polymers.