Poly(Neopentyl Glycol Furanoate): A Member of the Furan-Based Polyester Family with Smart Barrier Performances for Sustainable Food Packaging Applications

Abstract

Abstract:In the last decade, there has been an increased interest from the food packaging industry toward the development and application of bioplastics, to contribute to the sustainable economy and to reduce the huge environmental problem afflicting the planet. In the present work, we focus on a new furan-based polyester, poly(neopentyl glycol 2,5-furanoate) (PNF) to be used for sustainable food packaging applications. The aromatic polyester was successfully synthesized with high molecular weight, through a solvent-free process, starting directly from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid. PNF was revealed to be a material with good thermal stability, characterized by a higher T g and T m and a lower RAF fraction compared to poly(propylene 2,5-furanoate) (PPF), ascribable to the two methyl side groups present in PNF glycol-sub-unit. PNF's mechanical characteristics, i.e., very high elastic modulus and brittle fracture, were found to be similar to those of PPF and PEF. Barrier properties to different gases, temperatures and relative humidity were evaluated. From the results obtained, PNF was showed to be a material with very smart barrier performances, significantly superior with respect to PEF's ones. Lastly, PNF's permeability behavior did not appreciably change after contact with food simulants, whereas it got worse with increasing RH, due to the polar nature of furan ring.

Indole as a new sustainable aromatic unit for high quality biopolyesters

“…3D). 20,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45] Furthermore, the T g values of the new polyesters were considerably higher than the values of the corresponding terephthalate-and furan-based polyesters prepared with the same diols, 4a-e (Fig. 3D).…”

“…Thermal behaviour of indole-based polyesters 5a-e. (A) TGA weight loss and (B) derivative weight loss curves of polyesters 5a-e. (C) Second heating DSC curves of 5a-e. (D) T g of polyesters prepared from diols 4a-e and different aromatic dicarboxylates 20,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45]. …”

Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy Study of Biobased Poly(alkylene 2,5-furanoate)s’ Molecular Dynamics

“…In fact, FDCA-based polyesters have been successfully synthesized starting from glycols with a number of C atoms ranging from 3 to 12. These new polyesters have been characterized from the thermal, mechanical, and dielectric point of view [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. In fact, in the particular case of BDS, there have been several investigations focused on furan-based polymers, revealing complex molecular dynamics [27][28][29][30][31].…”

Bio-Polyethylene (Bio-PE), Bio-Polypropylene (Bio-PP) and Bio-Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (Bio-PET): Recent Developments in Bio-Based Polymers Analogous to Petroleum-Derived Ones for Packaging and Engineering Applications

“…An alternative approach is to replace terephthalic acid by different compounds derived from biomass, such as 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) for the production of polyethylene furanoate (PEF), which is not the object of this review [71][72][73].…”