Room-Temperature Direct Polymerization of Glycerol via Ultrasonication

Abstract

A study has been conducted on the synthesis of HPG using Ultrasonic (USG) technology. The USG technology has been widely applied and successfully implemented in various chemical reactions and processes. However, little is known about the use of USG in the HPG synthesis process. The HPG process was conducted in room conditions for 150 minutes, with 4% NaOH as the catalyst, USG power of 200 watts and energy of 427,182 Joules. The process produced HPG with a molecular weight of 1,432 g/mol and a degree of polymerization (DP) of 7.518. FTIR analysis results showed the characteristic formation of the dendritic polyglycerol structure, indicated by the formation of ether or C-O-C groups at spectrum peaks between 1033 cm-1 and 1210 cm-1 and a spectrum peak at 3284 cm-1, indicating the presence of hydroxyl (O-H) groups. Identification using 13C NMR revealed peak shifts in the spectrum 71.5 to 72.8 ppm, identifying the HPG product as having a dendrimer structure. The 1H NMR spectrum showed peak shifts in the spectrum 3.2 to 3.6, identifying CH-O, indicating a dendritic structure.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Polymers, 2026 · DOI ↗