Among all the emergent biobased polymers,
poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate)
(2,5-PEF) seems to be particularly interesting for packaging applications.
This work is focused on the investigation of the relaxation dynamics
and the macromolecular mobility in totally amorphous 2,5-PEF as well
as in the less studied poly(ethylene 2,4-furandicarboxylate) (2,4-PEF).
Both biopolymers were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry
and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy in a large range of temperatures
and frequencies. The main parameters describing the relaxation dynamics
and the molecular mobility in 2,5-PEF and 2,4-PEF, such as the glass
transition temperature, the temperature dependence of the α
and β relaxation times, the fragility index, and the apparent
activation energy of the secondary relaxation, were determined and
discussed. 2,5-PEF showed a higher value of the dielectric strength
as compared to 2,4-PEF and other well-known polyesters, such as poly(ethylene
terephthalate), which was confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations.
According to the Angell’s classification of glass-forming liquids,
amorphous PEFs behave as stronger glass-formers in comparison with
other polyesters, which may be correlated to the packing efficiency
of the macromolecular chains and therefore to the free volume and
the barrier properties.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.