Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Biobased furanic polyesters can exhibit performance advantages over petroleum-derived polyesters, primarily due to their rigid furan-containing backbones. Herein, we develop two strategies to polymerize methyl 5-hydroxymethyl furanoate to poly-(5-hydroxymethyl furanoate) (PHMF), a furan-based polyester with even greater backbone rigidity than poly-(ethylene furanoate). Thermal, spectroscopic, and computational investigations of PHMF alongside analogous furan-based and phenyl-based polyesters suggest that the high furan content of PHMF leads to its high glass transition temperature, slow crystallization kinetics, and low amorphous mobility. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that while the backbone of PHMF is exceptionally rigid, its amorphous phase is denser than its phenyl analog due to noncovalent interchain interactions. Together, these results highlight how asymmetric furan-based monomers can modulate key properties in biobased polyesters.
Institutions: National Laboratory of the Rockies, Stanford University
Language: English
Subfield: Biomaterials
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Office of Science, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Office of Naval Research, Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems, Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, Bioenergy Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency
Awards: G14908310, G1538770391, G2256474889, NNCI: nano@stanford, G2917895714, G3603699681, G3656049197, G3883580859, G399272915, G4089419421, G453897845, G601061201, G6017181652, G645873479, G6503762317, G682227408, G7021897321, G7619220232, G8065195062, G8142658735, G834333836, G847654844, G8510475291, G8570346810, G944719100
OpenAlex ID: W4414937890