In this study, poly(glycerol-
co
-diacids)
prepolymers
were produced using different ratios of glycerol (G), sebacic acid
(S), and succinic acid (Su) (molar ratios: GS 1:1, GSSu 1:0.9:0.1,
GSSu 1:0.8:0.2, GSSu 1:0.5:0.5, GSSu 1:0.2:0.8, GSSu 1:0.1:0.9, GSu
1:1). All polycondensation reactions were performed at 150 °C
until reaching a degree of polymerization of ≈55%, inferred
by the water volume collected from a reactor. We concluded that the
reaction time is correlated with the ratio of diacids used, that is,
the increase in succinic acid is proportional to a decrease in the
duration of the reaction. In fact, the reaction of poly(glycerol sebacate)
(PGS 1:1) is twice as slow as the reaction of poly(glycerol succinate)
(PGSu 1:1). The obtained prepolymers were analyzed by electrospray
ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and
1
H and
13
C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Besides its catalytic influence
in poly(glycerol)/ether bond formation, the presence of succinic acid
also contributes to a mass growth of ester oligomers, the formation
of cyclic structures, a greater number of oligomers detected, and
a difference in mass distribution. When compared with PGS (1:1), and
even at lower ratios, the prepolymers produced with succinic acid
presented mass peak characteristics of oligomer species with a glycerol
unit as its end group in higher abundance. Generally, the most abundant
oligomers have molecular weights between 400 and 800 g/mol.