| abstract |
The invention relates to monomers that are derived from α- and β-amino-ε-caprolactam and to polymers (e.g., homopolymers and copolymers) prepared from these monomers. In many embodiments, the α-amino-ε-caprolactam or β-amino-ε-caprolactam is manufactured from a renewable starting material, for example, biomass. In one aspect, the invention relates to polyamide polymers that are prepared by the polymerization of α-amido-ε-caprolactam monomer, β-amido-ε-caprolactam monomer, or a mixture thereof. In some embodiments, the monomers have the structures shown in Structure I and the polyamide polymers of the invention have the structure as shown in Structure II. |