Biodegradable Poly(butylene succinate) Copolyesters Modified by Bioresoured 2,5-Tetrahydrofurandimethanol

Abstract

The problems of fossil-based resources and pollution caused by traditional nondegradable polymers have led to the need for biobased monomers and polyesters, presenting more environmentally friendly features. 2,5-Tetrahydrofurandimethanol (THFDM), a biobased monomer containing an aliphatic ring structure and an ether group, was introduced into the molecular chain of polybutylene succinate (PBS) as a sustainable unit to optimize its performance and improve its sustainability. The poly(butylene-co-tetrahydrofurandimethylene succinate) (PBTS) copolyesters were synthesized using a melt polycondensation method. The copolyesters exhibited relatively high intrinsic viscosity (1.03−1.71 dL/g). The T g values of PBTS copolyesters increased significantly along with the introduction of THFDM (from −32.2 to −12.9 °C). According to the investigation using WAXD (wide-angle X-ray diffraction) analysis and successive selfnucleating annealing (SSA) measurement, it was revealed that the introduction of THFDM reduced the crystallization ability of PBTS while increasing its crystal content with relatively low lamella thickness. This phenomenon was mainly attributed to the aliphatic rings, which limited the movement and regular stacking of the molecular chains. The degradation rate and toughness of the copolyesters improved due to the decrease of crystallization degree. Meanwhile, the gas barrier property of PBTS slightly decreased but remained at a relatively high level. The permeabilities of O 2 and CO 2 were lower than that of commercially available PBAT. In summary, the introduction of THFDM not only improved the biobased resources content and the sustainability of copolyesters but also improved the toughness and degradation performance without sacrificing gas barrier performance.

Synthesis and Structure–Property Relationships of Novel High Molecular Weight Fully Biobased 2,5-Thiophenedicarboxylic Acid-Based Polyesters

“…Also, CO 2 and O 2 barrier properties were investigated by complementary pressure-decay sorption and permeation techniques. The selected testing temperature is a frequently chosen temperature used for the evaluation of polymers’ gas barrier properties, − and PBAT was selected as a reference. The larger value of the barrier improvement factor (BIF P ) represents the better barrier property of the target polyester.…”

Synthesis and Properties of Polybutylene (Succinate)-b-poly(dimethylsiloxane) with Unprecedented Combined Performance and Functions

“…FT-IR spectra of the samples are presented in Figure (1). The peak at 1700 cm –1 was assigned to the stretching vibration of CO, and the weak absorption band of 1163 cm –1 was ascribed to the stretching vibration of C–O in the macromolecular chain . The peaks at 2950 and 1300 cm –1 responded to the C–H stretching vibration and bending vibration, respectively.…”

“…PBS has a melting temperature ( T m ) of 110–116 °C and a thermal decomposition temperature ( T d ) higher than 350 °C . The mechanical properties are close to those of low-density polyethylene and meet the requirements of general-purpose plastics.…”

“…Biodegradable polymers have attracted great attention due to serious white pollution. , BCC research has reported that the global biodegradable polymer market is expected to reach 2.7 million metric tons by 2023 from 1.6 million metric tons in 2018 . Nowadays, biodegradable plastics have the potential to partially replace traditional plastics due to their good properties.…”

“…There are several possible but contradicting origins. (1) The M w of copolymers increased with increasing the PDMS content. A high molecular weight of the PBS block will exhibit a higher T g .…”