Τhe production of most polymers depends on fossil resources, which are finite raw materials. In a quest towards more sustainable polymers, natural feedstocks have been explored for the production of monomers for the synthesis of bio-based polymers, mainly cellulose, lignin and polysaccharides [1]. After cellulose, lignin is the second most abundant natural polymer and an important source of aromatic monomers and among them vanillin is a versatile building block for polymer synthesis [2]. Vanillic acid or 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid, obtained by vanillin oxidation, is a potentially bio-based building block, which has recently regained attention. Poly(ethylene vanillate) was thus synthesized and studied, exhibiting promising characteristics [3]. Poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF) is the most prominent member of the family of furandicarboxylate-based polyesters and is considered as a potential substitute of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). In the present work, the preparation of poly(ethylene furanoate-co-ethylene vanillate) copolymers (PEFV) will be presented. PEFV copolymers were obtained by the traditional two-step melt polycondensation method. PEFV copolymers were structurally characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), while their thermal behavior and thermal stability was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis.

[1] Hillmyer, M.A. The promise of plastics from plants. Science 2017, 358, 868

[2] Fache, M.; Darroman, E.; Besse, V.; Auvergne, R.; Caillol, S.; Boutevin, B. Vanillin, a promising biobased building-block for monomer synthesis. Green Chem. 2014, 16, 1987

[3] Zamboulis, A.; Papadopoulos, L.; Terzopoulou, Z.; Bikiaris, D.N.; Patsiaoura, D.; Chrissafis, K.; Gazzano, M.; Lotti, N.; Papageorgiou, G.Z. Synthesis, Thermal Properties and Decomposition Mechanism of Poly(Ethylene Vanillate) Polyester, Polymers 2019, 11, 1672