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From Furan to High Quality Bio-based Poly(ethylene furandicarboxylate)

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Abstract

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (2,5-FDCA) has been regarded as the ideal bio-based alternative to terephthalic acid (TPA). In recent years, great efforts have been made to synthesize 2,5-FDCA through the following methods: (1) oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in the presence of complex biocatalyst or metallic catalyst; (2) conversion of 2-furoic acid via the well-known Henkel Reaction. Herein, a new strategy for the synthesis of 2,5-FDCA from furan and acetic anhydride under mild condition is reported. The purity of the resulted 2,5-FDCA was above 99.9%. Acetic acid and iodoform generated in the reaction were recyclable and no other harmful by-products were detected. The thus-obtained 2,5-FDCA was applied for the preparation of poly(ethylene furandicarboxylate) (PEF) of high quality in terms of high molecular weight and good appearance.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51373194 and 51503217) and National Key Technology Support Program (No. 2015BAD15B08).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China

    Jing-Gang Wang, Xiao-Qing Liu & Jin Zhu

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Jing-Gang Wang

  3. Key Laboratory of Bio-based Polymeric Materials of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, 315201, China

    Jing-Gang Wang, Xiao-Qing Liu & Jin Zhu

Authors
  1. Jing-Gang Wang
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  2. Xiao-Qing Liu
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Correspondence to Xiao-Qing Liu or Jin Zhu.

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Wang, JG., Liu, XQ. & Zhu, J. From Furan to High Quality Bio-based Poly(ethylene furandicarboxylate). Chin J Polym Sci 36, 720–727 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-018-2092-0

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