No abstract

Novel classes of lignin-derived poly(carbonate ester)s, poly(carbonate ester)s pending amide moiety oligomers, and poly(carbonate urethane)s have been designed and synthesized.

The reversible reaction of CO2 with alcohols mediated by organic superbases was firstly developed to be a toolbox for capturing CO2 into polymerizable carbonate monomers applicable for thiol–ene click and ADMET polymerization to produce new libraries of polycarbonates.

The design and preparation of polymers by using biobased chemicals is regarded as an important strategy towards a sustainable polymer chemistry. Herein, two aromatic diols, 4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methoxyphenol and 2-(4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methoxyphenoxy)ethanol, have been prepared in good yields through the direct reduction of vanillin and hydroxyethylated vanillin (4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) using NaBH4, respectively. The diols were submitted to traditional polycondensation and polyaddition with acyl chlorides and diisocyanatos, and serials of new polyesters and polyurethanes were prepared in high yields with moderate molecular weight ranging from 17,000 to 40,000 g mol−1. Their structures were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and FTIR, and their thermal properties were studied by TGA and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), indicating that the as-prepared polyesters and polyurethanes have Tg in the range of 16.2 to 81.2 °C and 11.6 to 80.4 °C, respectively.

Polymerization of α,ω-diene functionalized carbonate monomers prepared from bio-based eugenol and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol through thiol–ene click and ADMET polymerizations produced polycarbonates with moderate molecular weight satisfactory thermal properties.

No abstract

No abstract

One-component epoxy resins based on latent curing agents have garnered research attention owing to their outstanding storage stability and excellent processability, while their development considerably depends on the design and preparation of sustainable latent curing agents. Herein, taking structural advantage of lignin-derived vanillin, a biobased polymerizable aromatic imidazole monomer with α,ω-diene functionality was designed and prepared, which was applicable in subsequent thiol–ene polymerization, yielding a series of robust poly(thioether imidazoles) with excellent tunability of the structure and properties. The findings indicated that the precursors comprising poly(thioether imidazole) and commercially available epoxy resins could keep their fluidity at 25 °C for over 90 days and rapidly cured into resins under elevated temperature, demonstrating that the poly(thioether imidazole) can serve as both a latent curing and toughening agent for one-component epoxy resins because of homopolymerization initiated by imidazole groups and the introduction of an aliphatic chain in the as-prepared poly(thioether imidazole) matrix.