A Facile Method to Modify Tris(2‐Hydroxyethyl) Isocyanurate Acrylate: Tailoring Its Structure and Properties via Controlled Ring‐Opening Polymerization of Caprolactone

ABSTRACT

A series of tris(2‐hydroxyethyl) isocyanurate (THEIC) acrylate derivatives modified with few ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) segments were synthesized via a one‐pot copolymerization. The properties of the modified THEIC acrylates exhibited regular variations depending on the average caprolactone segment number (N(CL)). Specifically, as N(CL) decreased, the glass transition temperature ( T _g ) increased, and the thermal stability was enhanced. A balance between toughness and strength was achieved at N(CL) = 1. Furthermore, the modified material demonstrated improved compatibility with the system and enhanced ease of use. In this one‐pot procedure, the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐CL and its esterification with acrylic acid proceeded concurrently. Combined DFT calculations and HPLC‐MS analysis revealed that this synergistic mechanism was key to controlling the PCL segment number while significantly simplifying the process. This strategy is equally applicable to preparing other polyol acrylates. The simple procedure and good controllability hold potential for industrial application.