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Synthesis of Biobased Soft-Packaging Polyesters from 2,5 Thiophenedicarboxylic Acid

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Abstract

Demand for light-packaging materials for food and beverages is on the rise globally, especially in develo** countries where several depend on packaged food. Furthermore, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) a semi-crystalline thermally stable polyester, is widely used for carbonated soft drink, water and juice bottles, but shows a poor degradability properties after their lifespan. In this investigation, a series of novel random partially degradable poly(carbonate-co-esters) (PTB/PTBCn) containing 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (TDCA), and different amounts of bis(2-hydroxyethoxy)benzene (BHEB) and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) sub-units were successfully synthesized via a two-step melt polymerization as a facile and green semi-continuous process. The copolymers were thermally stable with tunable Tg values ranging from 47 to 71 °C, while their 5% decomposition temperature (Td, 5%) under N2 varied from 463 to 432 °C. Herein, focus was made on the synthesis of eco-friendly polyesters with satisfactory O2-gas barrier properties (5.5 cm3 mm/m2 × day × atm) at 25 °C suitable for most packaging applications. The mechanical and thermal analysis of PTB and PTBCn polyesters revealed excellent properties comparable to commonly used packaging materials such as poly(vinyl chloride), poly(lactic acid) and PET, whereby the incorporation of cyclohexane (CHDM) and phenyl (BHEB) rings units greatly enhanced the thermal and mechanical properties, transparency, oxygen permeability, and biodegradability of these polyesters.

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The study did not report any additional data. In support of further research, all underlying article materials (such as data, samples or models) can be accessed upon request via email to the corresponding authors.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support from Program (BG20190227001) of High-end Foreign Experts of the Sate. Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Fine Organic Chemistry and New Organic Materials, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430081, China

    William Mawuko Kodzo Siegu, Lesly Dasilva Wandji Djouonkep, Elvis Kwame Adom, Abubakar Muaz, Mario Gauthier & Zhengzai Cheng

  2. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Applied Chemistry in Oil and Gas Fields, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China

    Lesly Dasilva Wandji Djouonkep

  3. Coal Conversion and New Carbon Materials Hubei Key Laboratory, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

    Mario Gauthier

  4. Department of Chemistry, Institute for Polymer Research, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Zhengzai Cheng

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  1. William Mawuko Kodzo Siegu
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Correspondence to Lesly Dasilva Wandji Djouonkep or Zhengzai Cheng.

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Siegu, W.M.K., Djouonkep, L.D.W., Adom, E.K. et al. Synthesis of Biobased Soft-Packaging Polyesters from 2,5 Thiophenedicarboxylic Acid. J Polym Environ 30, 2435–2447 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-022-02373-w

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