Synthesis and Recycling‐on‐Demand of Novel Bio‐Based Poly(Ester‐co‐Acetal)s Designed for Circularity

ABSTRACT

Achieving circularity in plastic‐producing industry is one of the most pressing challenges of our time in order to overcome the depletion of fossil resources and the pile‐up of post‐consumer plastic in landfills or in the environment. Raw materials need to be utilized from renewable feedstocks instead, and effective recycling methods are urgently required to keep valuable materials in the industrial production cycle. Tackling both challenges at once, this work aims to produce polymers designed for recycling‐on‐demand that are synthesized from telechelic oligomers consisting of potentially bio‐based monomers. Therefore, monomers that can be derived from biomass, namely 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), adipic acid (AA), and 1,4‐butanediol (Bd(OH)2), are incorporated into OH‐terminated prepolymers via solvent‐free melt oligomerization. These macrodiols were subsequently interconnected by pH‐labile acetal units via organo‐catalyzed click‐like addition reaction of terminal alcohol groups with divinyl ether coupling reagent. Optimized synthesis and water‐based recycling process conditions are reported alongside detailed NMR analysis of the respective products. Additionally, this novel polymer material was examined with regard to its thermal and mechanical properties.