Partial bio-based poly (aryl ether ketone) derived from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid with enhanced processability

The bio-based high-performance engineering plastics poly (aryl ether ketone) are required to be prepared with the threats of increasing shortage of petroleum resources. In this work, a novel green bio-based poly (aryl ether ketone) (PFBEK and PFDEK) based on the bio-based monomer 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid have been successfully synthesized via the nucleophilic aromatic substitution polymerization. The fossil-base polymers PDBEK and PDDEK were prepared as comparison. The chemical structures of the resins were investigated in detail by 1H NMR and FTIR. WAXD measurements revealed that all the polymers presented amorphous structures. The Tg of PFBEK and PFDEK are slightly decline when compared with the corresponding petroleum base resin due to the fractional free volume (FFV) increased by the nonlinear structure of the furan as confirmed by computer simulations. The results of thermal degradation kinetics showed that the thermal stability of the resin decreased when furan replaced phenyl. Nevertheless, the bio-based resins (PFBEK and PFDEK) still exhibited excellent thermal stability. Rheological test revealed that the viscosity of bio-based resins has significantly decreased compared with petroleum base resins. Hence, the new bio-based polymer can be processed at a lower temperature. Besides, the mechanical properties of PFBEK and PFDEK are comparable to the corresponding petroleum-based resins. Moreover, all the polymers showed outstanding solubility in organic solvents, such as NMP, DMAc and so on. Consequently, these two kinds of resins with excellent mechanical properties and processability, which is greener than petroleum base resins, meeting the requirements of sustainable development and can be potential to substitute the petroleum-based resins.