4-Vinyl Guaiacol: A Key Intermediate for Biobased Polymers

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Green Chemistry
• Sustainable Materials Science

Background:

• The chemical industry's environmental impact necessitates a shift from petrochemicals to biobased alternatives.
• 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (4-vinyl guaiacol, 4VG) presents a viable biobased platform for monomer synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a platform of biobased monomers from 4VG.
• To evaluate the sustainability of the synthesis procedures using green metrics.
• To investigate the radical homopolymerization of the new monomers and the effect of residual 4VG.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of nine biobased monomers from 4VG.
• Green metrics calculation for sustainability assessment.
• Radical homopolymerization using AIBN initiator in toluene.
• Characterization using 1H-NMR, SEC, DSC, and TGA.
• Analysis of residual 4VG as a radical inhibitor.

Main Results:

• Successfully prepared nine novel biobased monomers.
• Quantified synthesis sustainability via green metrics.
• Achieved homopolymerization with tunable glass transition temperatures (Tg) from 5 °C to 117 °C.
• Demonstrated the inhibitory effect of residual 4VG on polymerization kinetics.

Conclusions:

• The developed biobased monomers offer a sustainable alternative to petro-based monomers.
• Tunable thermal properties of the resulting homopolymers allow for diverse applications.
• These monomers can decrease the carbon footprint of copolymers in various industrial uses.