Semi-aromatic polyamides (SAPs) synthesized from petrochemical
diacids and diamines are high-performance polymers that often derive
their desirable properties from a high degree of crystallinity. Attempts
to develop partially renewable SAPs by replacing petrochemical diacids
with biobased furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) have resulted in
amorphous materials or polymers with low melting temperatures. Herein,
we report the development of poly(5-aminomethyl-2-furoic acid) (PAMF),
a semicrystalline SAP synthesized by the polycondensation of CO2 and lignocellulose-derived monomer 5-aminomethyl-2-furoic
acid (AMF). PAMF has glass-transition and melting temperatures comparable
to that of commercial materials and higher than that of any previous
furanic SAP. Additionally, PAMF can be copolymerized with conventional
nylon 6 and is chemically recyclable. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations
suggest that differences in intramolecular hydrogen bonding explain
why PAMF is semicrystalline but many FDCA-based SAPs are not.