Biobased Semi-Crystalline Polyesteramides from 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid and 5,5′-Isopropylidene Bis(2-furfurylamine): Synthesis toward Crystallinity and Chemical Stability

Polymers based on furans have received much attention in recent years due to their renewable origin and high-performance properties; nevertheless, the important class of polyesteramides still remains overlooked. Thus, here we introduced a new series of polyesteramides based on 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), 5,5′-isopropylidene bis(2-furfurylamine) (DAF), and 1,6-hexanediol (HD) (PEAFs), designed to be fully biobased, chemically stable under hydrolytic and/or oxidative conditions, and to simultaneously meet fine-tuned thermal and crystallinity properties. The ensuing PEAFs were readily synthesized through bulk polycondensation, reaching very promising green metric values in terms of atom economy (ca. 90%) and low process mass intensities (ca. 1.4). They showed to be semi-crystalline, displaying a glass transition and a melting temperature of up to 28 and 136 °C, respectively, thus opening new perspectives for the preparation of high-performance polymers suitable for high chemical stability demanding applications.