Abstract
A novel diphenyl monomer, dimethyl 2,2'-(((ethane-1,2-diylbis(oxy))bis(4-acetyl-3,1-phenylene))bis(oxy))diacetate (EDPD), was synthesized from methyl 2-(4-acetyl-3-hydroxyphenoxy)acetate (MAHA), a 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenonederivative, and combined with 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol or p-phenylenedimethanolto afford a series of biodegradable polyesters via melt polymerization. The polyesters were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of the polyesters varied from 3.2–4.4 × 104 g/mol, the glass transition temperature (Tg) from 52 to 80 °C, and the 5% decomposition temperature (Td,5%) was in the 334–362 °C range. All the samples exhibited high yield strength (53–68 MPa) and elongation at break (230–330%) values, comparable with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), owing to their aromatic character. Degradability testing of the polyesters in soil yielded mass losses reaching up to 7% after 32 weeks. In ecotoxicity testing, earthworms had a survival rate of more than 80% after 14 d of incubation, indicating relatively low toxicity. Overall, the good thermal and mechanical properties, biodegradability and low ecotoxicity of the polyesters make them promising materials for packaging applications, in replacement for PET, thereby promoting carbon neutrality and sustainable development.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).