Synthesis of Hyperbranched Polyglycerols using Ascorbic acid as an Activator

In this work, low molecular weight hyperbranched polyglycerols (LMPGs) are synthesized in bulk using ascorbic acid as an activator. Different molar ratios of glycidol and ascorbic acid were mixed and stirred at ambient conditions and LMPGs with different molecular weights, degree of branching and relative abundance of the structural units were obtained. According to spectroscopy data, ascorbic acid was not incorporated in the structure of polymer and plays the role of activating agent in the polymerization process. In this synthetic protocol, any other chemical reagent and organic solvents were not used. Therefore, products are free of toxic impurities and suitable for the future biomedical applications.