A Green and Sustainable Route to Carbohydrate Vinyl Ethers for Accessing Bioinspired Materials with a Unique Microspherical Morphology

Synthesizing chemicals and materials from renewable sources is one of the main aims of modern science. Carbohydrates represent excellent renewable natural raw materials that are ecofriendly, inexpensive, and biologically compatible. A green procedure has been developed for the vinylation of carbohydrates by using readily available calcium carbide. Various carbohydrates were utilized as starting materials, resulting in mono‐, di‐, and tetravinyl ethers in high to excellent yields (81–92 %). The synthesized biobased vinyl ethers were utilized as monomers in free radical and cationic polymerizations. A unique combination of a smooth surface and intrinsic microcompartments was achieved in the synthesized materials. Two types of biobased materials were prepared involving microspheres and intrinsic hollow compartments in polymers. Scanning electron microscopy with built‐in ion beam cutting was applied to reveal the spatial hierarchical structures in 3D space. Vinyl is not dead! A green procedure for vinylation of carbohydrates with readily available calcium carbide was developed. Various carbohydrates were utilized as starting materials, resulting in mono‐, di‐, and tetravinyl ethers in high to excellent yields (81–92 %). The vinyl ethers were used as monomers for free radical and cationic polymerization to obtain materials with a unique combination of a smooth surface and intrinsic microcompartments.