Biobased polyesters and other polymers from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid: a tribute to furan excellency

Abstract

Motivated by a general concern on sustainability and environmental issues, a sparkling search for renewable-based polymers has grown exponentially in recent years. This search definitely spotlighted polyesters derived from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, among other polymers, as some of the most promising, especially due to the resemblance of this renewable monomer to the well-known petroleum-based terephthalic acid, as well as for the possibility of preparing innovative materials. The huge number of recent papers and patents about this family of polymers explore aspects such diverse as synthesis with other renewable-based monomers, leading to the preparation of materials with enhanced thermo-mechanical, biodegradability and liquid crystalline properties, among other features. Additional aspects pursued in such studies are innovation in the synthetic approaches or its optimisation; and also the development of applications for everyday-life objects like for example packaging materials, especially bottles, textiles, coating, toners, among many other uses. Despite this intense activity little has been reviewed recently about this unique family of polyesters, or derived polymers, as the only reviews on the subject date-back from the last century. In this perspective, the present appraisal aims at contributing to fulfil this literature gap, covering recent aspects related with challenges of developing polyesters, polyamides, or other polymers from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and their precursors. Emphasis is placed on monomer synthesis, polymerisation reactions, catalysts and applications.A tribute to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid excellency and the myriad of novel polyesters, but also polyamides, among other polycondensates, is comprehensively done.

An overview on properties and applications of poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)–PBAT based composites

“…Rare earth compounds or zinc acetate can be used as polycondensation catalysts, which for industry is not an optimal choice though the use of these catalysts were reported to prepare PBAT in laboratory scale [49,50]. Preparation of PBAT requires long reaction time, high vacuum, and temperature usually higher than 1908C [50,51]. These conditions are required to favor condensation reactions and remove the lighter molecules (water) as a product [52].…”

Poly(butylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate-ε-caprolactone): A new bio-based elastomer with high strength and biodegradability

“…Normally, FDCA is produced by oxidation or biotransformation of hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) [4], and HMF can be obtained from dehydration of plant-based sugars [5,6]. FDCA has been investigated intensively both in academia and industry because it is a perfect bio-based substitute to the petroleum-based terephthalate acid (TPA), which is a versatile monomer for polyester and poly amide [2,7]. For example, poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) [8] is being further developed and commercialized in beverage package for its excellent mechanical and barrier properties.…”

New functional nanocomposites based on poly(trimethylene 2,5-furanoate) and few layer graphene prepared by in situ polymerization

“…These include, among others, 2,5-furanedicarboxylic acid (FDCA) synthesized from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) [7]. It was identified as one of the twelve most promising compounds of vegetal origin for the synthesis of polymeric materials including polyurethanes, polyamides and polyesters [2,4,5,8,9] as well as their copolymers with elastomeric properties. Polyesters that contain furan moieties in their structures, have been widely investigated for decades, starting with Moore and Kelly's pioneering research about thirty years ago [10] and continuing with some recent studies [7,[11][12][13].…”