Terpenes and Terpenoids: Building Blocks to Produce Biopolymers

Abstract

Polymers are essential materials in our daily life. The synthesis of value-added polymers is mainly performed from fossil fuel-derived monomers. However, the adoption of the circular economy model based on the bioeconomy will reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. In this context, biorefineries have emerged to convert biomass into bioenergy and produce high value-added products, including molecules that can be further used as building blocks for the synthesis of biopolymers and bioplastics. The achievement of catalytic systems able to polymerize the natural monomer counterparts, such as terpenes or terpenoids, is still a challenge in the development of polymers with good mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties. This review describes the most common types of bioplastics and biopolymers and focuses specifically on the polymerization of terpenes and terpenoids, which represent a source of promising monomers to create bio-based polymers and copolymers.

Toward Bio‐Sourced Elastomers with Reactive/Polar Groups. Myrcene – Glycidyl Methacrylate Copolymerization: Reactivity Ratios, Properties, and Preliminary RAFT Emulsion Polymerization

“…Among the most studied terpenes are α ‐pinene, β ‐pinene, limonene, myrcene (Myr), ocimene, alloocimene and farnesene. [ 6 ] The chemical structures of these terpenes are presented in Figure 1 .…”

Renewable Vanillin-Based Thermoplastic Polybutadiene Rubber: High Strength, Recyclability, Self-Welding, Shape Memory, and Antibacterial Properties

“…Nowadays, renewable biomass resources are increasingly used to manufacture sustainable polymer materials, such as 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, itaconic acid, terpenes, vegetable oils, fatty acids, cyclodextrins, vanillin, etc. Among these, vanillin is the only biobased aromatic monomer that has achieved industrial mass production .…”

Polymerization of Bio‐Derived Conjugated Dienes with Rare‐Earth‐Metal Complexes

“…As we known, natural terpenes comprise one type of secondary metabolite derived from five‐carbon isoprene (IP) units, which are assembled in thousands of combinations with cycloaliphatic structures [15,16] . The terpenes are merely hydrocarbons, and their structures follow the so‐called isoprene rule (C5 rule), which is based on the number and organization of carbon atoms in the molecule [19] . The easy modification of terpenes to the compounds containing conjugated diene motif and their polar‐atom‐free inherence enable them in theory as prefect candidates for the rare‐earth metal catalyzed regular polymerization.…”

“…[15,16] The terpenes are merely hydrocarbons, and their structures follow the so-called isoprene rule (C5 rule), which is based on the number and organization of carbon atoms in the molecule. [19] The easy modification of terpenes to the compounds containing conjugated diene motif and their polar-atom-free inherence enable them in theory as prefect candidates for the rare-earth metal catalyzed regular polymerization. On the other hand, the reader is referred to other literatures about the polymerization of bio-based monomers by the means of cationic or radical polymerization.…”