- Polypropylene carbonate
Polypropylene carbonate (PPC), also called poly(propylene carbonate), is a
polyalkylene carbonate plastic material, acopolymer ofcarbon dioxide andpropylene oxide . It is made by reacting the monomers in presence of eg. azinc glutarate catalyst . ItsCAS number is CASREF|CAS=50862-75-4 or CASREF|CAS=25511-85-7.Polypropylene carbonate is soluble in polar
solvent s, eg.acetone ,methyl ethyl ketone ,ethyl acetate ,dichloromethane andchlorinated hydrocarbon s. It is insoluble inethyl alcohol ,ethylene glycol s, water, andaliphatic hydrocarbon s. Stableemulsion s in water are available commercially only from Empower Materials Inc., Newark DE USA. [http://www.empowermaterials.com]Polypropylene carbonate is used eg. as a binder, and to increase the toughness of some
epoxy resin s. It is unsuitable as an oxygen barrier, and therefore is used in applications where diffusion of oxygen through the plastic is desired.In ceramics industry, polypropylene carbonate and
polyethylene carbonate are used as sacrificial binders, especiallyalumina andsilicon carbide ; the polymers evaporate duringsintering as they decompose completely above 300 °C. Together withplasticizer s they account for the most of the volumes of the ceramic additives; a typical amount of binder in the ceramic is 2-3 weight %. Due to their low content ofsodium they are suitable for preparation ofdielectric materials ,piezoelectric ceramics, and other specialelectroceramic s. As a binder, PPC is available from Novomer Inc., Ithaca, NY USA or Empower Materials Inc., Newark, DE USA under the trade name QPAC-40. [http://www.novomer.com] [http://www.empowermaterials.com/news%20article%202.htm] . Polyethylene carbonate or PEC, is commercially available from Empower Materials Inc. under the trade name QPAC-25.Polypropylene carbonate binders are
amorphous , withglass transition temperature of 40 °C. Polyethylene carbonate has glass transition temperature of 25 °C.Monomeric
propylene carbonate is used as an organicsolvent . It can be used as aplasticizer , to lower the glass transition temperature of polypropylene carbonate and polyethylene carbonate. It is also a byproduct of manufacture of PPC.Composites of polypropylene carbonate with
starch (PPC/starch) can be used as abiodegradable plastic.
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