“Brill Transition” Shown by Green Material Poly(octamethylene carbonate)

Abstract

Poly­(octamethylene carbonate) (POMC), as the eighth member of the newly developed biodegradable aliphatic polycarbonate family, demonstrates a reversible crystal–crystal transition, which is highly similar to Brill transition extensively studied in the nylon family. With the dipole–dipole interaction in POMC much weaker than the hydrogen bonding, POMC exhibits its “Brill transition” temperature at around 42 °C, much lower than nylons. The two crystalline structures of POMC at below and above the transition temperature can be identified. The transition of POMC is largely associated with the reversible conformation change of methylene sequences from trans-dominated at low temperatures to trans/gauche coexistence at high temperatures