Solvay (societe Anonyme)

Lucienne Detournay

Henri Wautier

Martine Kaszacs

Poly-.epsilon.-caprolactones are produced by continuous polymerization of .epsilon.-caprolactone as a melt in an extruder (reactive extrusion) with the use, as polymerization initiator, of aluminium trialkoxides in which at least one alkoxy radical includes at least one other oxygen atom besides the oxygen atom constituting the aluminoxane (AI--O) bond. This oxygen atom is advantageously present in the form of an ester or ether functional group. These initiators are generally in the liquid state at ambient temperature and are furthermore miscible with .epsilon.-caprolactone, with the result that they can be used in the absence of solvent. The appropriate adjustment of the feed flow rates of .epsilon.-caprolactone and of initiator to the extruder permits the manufacture of custom-made poly-.epsilon.-caprolactones which have predesigned weight-average molecular masses.

Growing community of inventors

Brussels, Belgium

Lucienne Detournay