Abstract
Naturally occurring nipagin and eugenol were used as the collaborative starting materials for poly(ether ester) polymers. In this study, two series of nipagin and eugenol-derived copoly(ether ester)s, PHN11−xE1x and PHN11−xE2x (x = 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%), were prepared with renewable 1,6-hexanediol as a comonomer. The nipagin-derived component acts as the renewable surrogate of petroleum-based dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), while the eugenol-derived component acts as the cooperative property modifier of parent homopoly(ether ester) PHN1. 1,6-Hexanediol was chosen as the spacer because of its renewability, high boiling point, and short chain to enhance the glass transition temperatures (Tgs) of materials. The molecular weights and chemical structures were confirmed by gel permeation chromatograph (GPC), NMR and FTIR spectroscopies. Thermal and crystalline properties were studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WXRD). The tensile assays were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties. The results suggested that properties of this kind of poly(ether ester)s could be finely tuned by the relative content of two components for the desired applications (elastomer, rubbery) suitable for different scenarios from polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).
Highlights
Great majority of plastic consumed globally is produced from fossil resources
Nipagin and eugenol are two naturally occurring building blocks, which exist in campanulaceae plant and clove, respectively[12,13]
PHN11−xE1x and P HN11−xE2x copoly(ether ester)s were synthesized by a melt polycondensation method according to the predetermined composition ratios of nipagin and eugenol-derived dimethyl ester monomers
Summary
Great majority of plastic consumed globally is produced from fossil resources. Nipagin and eugenol are two naturally occurring building blocks, which exist in campanulaceae plant and clove, respectively[12,13] These two starting materials have been found widespread applications in fields of liquid crystalline material[14,15], epoxy resin16–18, benzoxazine19,20, coating[21,22], and Li–S battery[23]. Considering the structural difference of nipagin and eugenol, the symmetrical nipagin units can endow the polymers with high crystallinity and mechanical strength, but poor flexibility and d uctility[27,28]. The high Tg values can make polymer materials applied in a wide temperature range Synergistic effect between these two structurally distinctive components (nipagin and eugenol) endows the materials with desired performance, which can be modulated for a broad range of applications (elastomer, rubbery) suitable for a variety of scenarios
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