Biobased Poly(Schiff-Base) Composed of Bifurfural

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biomass Valorization

Background:

• Bifurfural, derived from inedible biomass, offers a sustainable alternative to fossil resources.
• Furan rings in polymers impart unique properties like rigidity and expanded π-conjugation.
• Poly(Schiff base)s are a class of polymers with potential applications in various fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel poly(Schiff base)s using bifurfural and diamines.
• To investigate the structural and electronic properties of these biobased polymers.
• To evaluate the mechanical performance of bifurfural-based poly(Schiff base)s for material applications.

Main Methods:

• Polymerization of bifurfural with various diamines via an environmentally benign process.
• Structural analysis using 1H NMR, IR, and MALDI-TOF MS.
• Spectroscopic (UV-vis) and computational (molecular orbital theory) investigations of electronic properties.
• Mechanical testing of molded polymer films.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of poly(Schiff base)s from bifurfural and diamines.
• Characterization confirmed mixtures of linear and cyclic polymer structures.
• Extended π-conjugation was observed in the bifurfural/p-phenylenediamine system.
• Molded films exhibited good strength and toughness.

Conclusions:

• Bifurfural is a viable biobased building block for synthesizing functional polymers.
• The developed poly(Schiff base)s possess desirable structural and mechanical properties.
• These biobased materials show significant promise for sustainable material applications.