Biobased Thermosetting Polyester Resin for High-Performance Applications

Abstract

Reducing the dependency from petroleum-based monomers and crosslinkers is an increasingly important goal for the plastics industry. This is being enabled by the growing diversity and availability of alternative biobased products derived from renewable resources, some of which are compatible with the production of more sustainable resins for high-performance applications. This paper presents the development of unsaturated polyesters (UPs) and their crosslinked resins (UPRs) based on 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and other biobased building blocks. The original features of these UPs are derived from (i) the use of FDCA as an aromatic monomer replacing phthalic anhydride, (ii) the introduction of a FDCA–isosorbide (ISO) block into the polyester backbone with the presence of unsaturations provided by biobased fumaric acid, (iii) the use of ISO and 1,3-propanediol instead of ethylene glycol and 1,2 propylene glycol, and (iv) the reduction of styrene content using 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The developed UPRs have a similar thermal and mechanical behavior to the petrochemical ones, presenting glass transition temperatures up to 102 °C, tensile modulus and strength up to 3.9 GPa and 63.3 MPa, respectively, and viscosity between 800 and 1250 cP, making these resins greener alternatives to fully petroleum-derived UPRs for high-performance applications.

Biobased Semiaromatic Polyamides Derived from Dimethyl Furan-2,5-Dicarboxylate: Influence of the Composition on Their Properties

“…2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a commercialized biobased diacid monomer, , which can be obtained from renewable and easily available sugars via biological or chemical conversions. ,− FDCA is the only aromatic monomer among the 12 biobased building block chemicals identified by the U.S. Department of Energy; it is considered a biobased substitute for nonrenewable PTA, ,, while there are still lots of differences between FDCA and PTA. For instance, the furan ring is less aromatic compared with the benzene ring because of its π-excessive character; the angles between two carboxyl groups of the furan ring and benzene ring are 129.4 and 180°, respectively; the nonlinear character in FDCA combined with the permanent dipole frustrates the crystallization process; and the benzene ring is a hexatomic ring and the furan ring is penta-heterocycle, and they have different sizes and symmetries. − Theoretically, the resultant polymers from FDCA and PTA should exhibit different physical structures (such as the crystal structure) and performances (such as heat resistance and mechanical properties).…”

Itaconic Acid as a Comonomer in Betulin-Based Thermosets via Sequential and Bulk Preparation

“…Itaconic acid (IA) is an example of a dual-functional, biocompatible biobased monomer with increasing use as it is commercially available from fermented agricultural waste and is projected to reach a market of 177 million USD by 2028. , As an unsaturated diacid monomer, IA can undergo both polycondensation and free radical polymerization, allowing for its use in diverse polymers. Such polymers include thermoplastic and thermoset polyesters, with applications in textiles, shape memory polymers, coatings, UV-curable additive manufacturing, and biomedicine. ,− …”

Disulfide Bond Accelerated Transesterification in Poly(β‐hydrazide disulfide esters) toward Fast Network Rearrangements

“…Conventional thermosetting resins exhibit excellent chemical stability, outstanding mechanical properties, and high heat resistance, owing to their stable cross-linked networks [1][2][3][4][5] therefore, they had been used in many domains such as adhesives, [6] energy applications, [7] and automobile manufacture. [8] Unfortunately, these conventional thermosetting resins cannot be easily reprocessed or recycled, which leads to environmental problems after they are discarded.…”