A facile method to synthesize bio-based and biodegradable copolymers from furandicarboxylic acid and isosorbide with high molecular weight, excellent thermal and mechanical property

Bio-based copolymers with high glass transition temperature (Tg), good mechanical properties and biodegradability are highly desired for practical applications such as food packaging or heat-resistant containers. In this work, a series of fully bio-based high-molecular-weight copolymers (PICBF(S)) were successfully prepared from dimethyl 2,5-furandicarboxylate (DMFD), isosorbide (Is), 1,4-butanediol (BDO) and dimethyl succinate (DMS) by a two-step melt polymerization, a facile and green process for practical semi-continous production manufacture. These copolymers showed tunable Tg varied from 43 to 122 oC and high weight-average molecular weight (Mw) range from 87,000 to 42,000 g/mol. A systematic study on the structure-property relationship revealed that the properties of these copolymers could be easily controlled by simply changing the composition ratio of monomers. Specially, the copolymer PI80CBF10S10 showed a Tg of 97.6 oC, tensile strength of 69 MPa and tensile modulus of 1330 MPa. Additionally, it displayed reduced CO2 (34 times) permeability when compared to that of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS). Also, its degradation weight loss could reach 12.7% after 28 days when incubated with lipases, which was unusual when considering its high Tg. With good gas barrier property, biodegradability, excellent thermostability and high mechanical performance, these sustainable copolymers seem to have broad potential applications in the plastic industries.