New eco-friendly random copolyesters based on poly(propylene cyclohexanedicarboxylate): Structure-properties relationships

Abstract

Abstract.A series of novel random copolymers of poly(propylene 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate) (PPCE) containing neopentyl glycol sub-unit (P(PCExNCEy)) were synthesized and characterized in terms of molecular and solid-state properties. In addition, biodegradability studies in compost have been conducted. The copolymers displayed a high and similar thermal stability with respect to PPCE. At room temperature, all the copolymers appeared as semicrystalline materials: the main effect of copolymerization was a lowering of crystallinity degree (! c ) and a decrease of the melting temperature compared to the parent homopolymer. In particular, Wide Angle X-Ray diffraction (WAXD) measurements indicated that P(PCExNCEy) copolymers are characterized by cocrystallization, PNCE counits cocrystallizing in PPCE crystalline phase. Final properties and biodegradation rate of the materials under study were strictly dependent on copolymer composition and ! c . As a matter of fact, the elastic modulus and the elongation at break decreased and increased, respectively, as neopentyl glycol cyclohexanedicarboxylate (NCE) unit content was increased. The presence of a rigid-amorphous phase was evidenced by means of Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) analysis in all the samples under investigation. Lastly, the biodegradation rate of P(PCExNCEy) copolymers was found to slightly increase with the increasing of NCE molar content.

Block Copolyesters Containing 2,5-Furan and trans-1,4-Cyclohexane Subunits with Outstanding Gas Barrier Properties

“…Poly(propylene furanoate) (PPF) and poly(propylene cyclohexandicarboxylate) (PPCE) were synthesized in bulk by the usual two-stage melt polycondensation starting from 1,3-propanediol and the appropriate dicarboxylic acid, in accordance to the procedures previously reported [16,55].…”

“…Copolymerization allows for the creation of completely new classes of materials, whose behavior is strictly correlated to the composition and molecular architecture of the comonomeric units present in the polymer structure. Over the past several years, our group has intensively focused the research activity on the synthesis and characterization of fully biodegradable and/or biobased aliphatic copolyesters from trans -1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid for environmental as well as biomedical applications [45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55]. Such polymers proved to be particularly interesting for food packaging applications [45,49,51,52,53,54].…”

“…Such polymers proved to be particularly interesting for food packaging applications [45,49,51,52,53,54]. Recently, we focused our attention on the fully-aliphatic biobased poly(propylene cyclohexanedicarboxylate) (PPCE), whose thermal and mechanical properties were deeply investigated, together with its compostability [55].…”

Barrier Properties of Poly(Propylene Cyclohexanedicarboxylate) Random Eco-Friendly Copolyesters

“…Poly(propylene cyclohexanedicarboxylate) (PPCE) and poly(propylene/neopenthyl glycol cyclohexanedicarboxylate) random copolymers (P(PCExNCEy)) were synthesized according to the procedure reported by Genovese et al [ 12 ]. The polymerization was performed starting from DMCE and 1,3-PD for the homopolymer, and different ratios of PD/NPG for the copolymers, with 40% mol excess glycol with respect to dimethylester.…”

“…Poly(propylene 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate) (PPCE) and its random copolymers containing different amounts of neopentyl glycol sub-units (P(PCExNCEy) have been synthesized and characterized from the molecular, thermal, structural, and mechanical points of view [ 12 ]. These new polyesters represent a new class of bio-based and biodegradable ecofriendly materials with the potential for use in food packaging applications.…”