Highly crystalline polyesters synthesized from furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA): Potential bio-based engineering plastic

The bio-based polyester demonstrating great potential to be used as engineering plastic, poly(1,4-cyclohexanedimethylene furandicarboxylate) (PCF) was synthesized from furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) with different steric conformation. After the chemical structures were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR and 13C NMR) and molecular weight was determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), their crystallization behaviors, thermal and dynamic mechanical properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Results showed that PCFs demonstrated very good crystalline properties and the steric configuration of CHDM, i.e. the ratio of cis- to trans-CHDM in PCFs, had significant influences on their properties. The melting temperature of PCF could be as high as 294 °C and its crystallization half-time could be only several seconds. In addition, its mechanical properties and thermal stability were comparable to or better than those of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) or poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT). Considering the overall performance of PCF, it has great potential to be used as the bio-based polyester engineering plastics.