Synthesis and Characterization of Hyperbranched Polyesters for Special Uses

“Life is branched” was the motto of a special issue of Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics on “Branched Polymers”, indicating that branching is of similar importance in the world of synthetic macromolecules as it is in nature. This work is focus on the synthetic approaches used to prepare highly branched polymers, diluting the branching with linear polymer chains by creating increasingly complex linear-branched hybrid systems. Structural characterization of hyperbranched samples was made by NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The structure-to-thermal relationship was also investigated through TGA, DSC and WAXD analyses. The complex architecture and compact structures, the absence of chain entanglements, and a large number of functional end-groups yield these materials good low migration polymeric plasticizers for flexible PVC compounds, high performance toughening agents for epoxy resin matrix and excellent crystallization inhibitors and drug delivery systems for an innovative antimalarial drug, artemisinin.