1 research outputs found
Bio-Based Aromatic Polyesters from a Novel Bicyclic Diol Derived from d‑Mannitol
2,4:3,5-Di-<i>O</i>-methylene-d-mannitol,
abbreviated
as Manx, is a d-mannitol-derived compound with the secondary
hydroxyl groups acetalized with formaldehyde. The bicyclic structure
of Manx consists of two fused 1,3-dioxane rings, with two primary
hydroxyl groups standing free for reaction. A homopolyester made of
Manx and dimethyl terephthalate as well as a set of copolyesters of
poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) in which 1,4-butanediol was replaced
by Manx up to 50% were synthesized and characterized. The polyesters
had <i>M</i><sub>w</sub> in the 30 000–52 000
g mol<sup>–1</sup> range and a random microstructure and were
thermally stable up to nearly 370 °C. They displayed outstanding
high <i>T</i><sub>g</sub> with values from 55 to 137 °C
which steadily increased with the content in Manx. Copolyesters containing
up to 40% of Manx were semicrystalline and adopted the crystal structure
of PBT. Their stress–strain parameters were sensitively affected
by the presence of carbohydrate-based units with elongation at break
decreasing but tensile strength and elastic moduli steadily increasing
with the degree of replacement