Poly(ethylene furanoate-co-ethylene vanillate) biobased copolymers: Impact of the incorporation of vanillic acid units in poly(ethylene furanoate)

Biobased materials have acquired a high interest as a response to the environmental concerns of consumers as well as a solution to the pressing issue of dwindling fossil resources our society is facing. In the present study, five biobased copolymers of poly(ethylene vanillate) (PEV) and poly(ethylene furanοate) (PEF) have been synthesized by bulk polymerization for the first time. The aim was to explore whether PEF properties could be improved by copolymerization with PEV, a more recent but equally promising biobased polyester. The obtained copolymers were thoroughly characterized to assess the impact of the presence of PEV. More specifically, the molecular structure of the synthesized copolymers was characterized by nuclear magnetic spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy, while their thermal behavior was examined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. In complement, the mechanism of thermal degradation was studied by pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Finally, their mechanical properties were investigated by nanoindentation.