Improving the Thermal Properties of Poly(2,5‐furandicarboxylate)s Using Cyclohexylene Moieties: A Comparative Study

The search for new polymers from renewable origin is a sparkling field in polymer chemistry, especially those having promising properties, for example, in terms of their thermal performance. In this vein, in this study, an original renewable 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid‐based cycloaliphatic homopolyester, poly(1,4‐cyclohexylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) (PCdF), is synthesized from dimethyl‐2,5‐furandicarboxylate and 1,4‐cyclohexanediol. Poly(1,4‐cyclohexanedimethylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) is also prepared for comparison purposes, since it is the direct renewable substitute of poly(1,4‐cyclohexanedimethylene terephthalate) and they are structurally related. The resulting homopolyesters are characterized in detail by using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared, 1H, 13C and 2D NMR, X‐ray and elemental analysis, and thermal properties are assessed by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. PCdF shows to have a semicrystalline character, exhibiting an extremely high glass transition temperature around 175 °C. Moreover, this polyester also shows to be a high thermally stable material with a degradation temperature of 380.0 °C. An original poly(1,4‐cyclohexylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) (PCdF) homopolyester with improved thermal properties is successfully synthesized. PCdF is a high thermally stable material with a degradation temperature of up to 380 °C, and a glass transition (T g) around 175 °C. Moreover, when compared to poly(1,4‐cyclohexanedimethylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) (PCF), the PCdF has a higher thermal stability and T g. Thus, one can foresee their wide panoply of applications.