Sustainable and recyclable super engineering thermoplastic from biorenewable monomer

Abstract

Environmental and health concerns force the search for sustainable super engineering plastics (SEPs) that utilise bio-derived cyclic monomers, e.g. isosorbide instead of restricted petrochemicals. However, previously reported bio-derived thermosets or thermoplastics rarely offer thermal/mechanical properties, scalability, or recycling that match those of petrochemical SEPs. Here we use a phase transfer catalyst to synthesise an isosorbide-based polymer with a high molecular weight >100 kg mol −1 , which is reproducible at a 1-kg-scale production. It is transparent and solvent/melt-processible for recycling, with a glass transition temperature of 212 °C, a tensile strength of 78 MPa, and a thermal expansion coefficient of 23.8 ppm K −1 . Such a performance combination has not been reported before for bio-based thermoplastics, petrochemical SEPs, or thermosets. Interestingly, quantum chemical simulations show the alicyclic bicyclic ring structure of isosorbide imposes stronger geometric restraint to polymer chain than the aromatic group of bisphenol-A.

Mechano-responsive hydrogen-bonding array of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer captures both strength and self-healing

“…Es-MD was tested using the same procedure. Both C-IP-SS and Es-MD exhibited consistently negligible cytotoxicity to the four types of mammalian cells; i.e., more than 80% of the cells were viable compared to the negative control 68 , 69 .…”

“…The in vivo biocompatibility of C-IP-SS was evaluated by the Daegu Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation (DGMIF), a contract clinical research organization, following the ISO 10993-6 Annex A standard 69 , and ethically approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (Korea) (IACUC; approval code DGMIF-19042402-00) (Fig. 7a ).…”

“…In vitro cytotoxicity testing was performed according to the ISO 10993-5 international standard 69 . Cytotoxicity experiments began with liquid extracts of the plastic materials.…”

Study on the Synthetic Characteristics of Biomass-Derived Isosorbide-Based Poly(arylene ether ketone)s for Sustainable Super Engineering Plastic

“…The reason the CTE of amorphous SEP containing ISB is lower than that of BPA-based polymers can be attributed to the unique chemical structure of ISB. According to quantum chemical calculations described in previously published articles, a fused aliphatic bicyclic ring exhibits considerably stronger geometrical restraint than the planar benzene structure of BPA, therefore, requiring a greater amount of energy for the same degree of alteration [48,49,50]. The ISB-based polymer with a higher Young’s modulus than the BPA-based polymer can be explained by the same principle.…”

Mechano-responsive hydrogen-bonding array of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer captures both strength and self-healing

“…In particular, we expect that this TPU can be used as a precursor material for arti cial muscle due to its high mechanical and elastic-recovery performance. Accordingly, the in vivo biocompatibility of C-IP-SS was evaluated by the Daegu Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation (DGMIF), a contract clinical research organization, following the ISO 10993-6 Annex A standard 63 , and ethically approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (Korea) (IACUC; approval code DGMIF-19042402-00). Experimental sample lms of C-IP-SS (diameter: 10 mm) were implanted in the subcutaneous tissue of rats (n = 5), and a polyurethane lm containing residual DMSO (solvent) and a high density polyethylene (HDPE) lm were used as positive and negative controls, respectively (Fig.…”