Synthesis and Chemical Recovery of Castor Oil-Based Poly(ester amides) with PE-Like Performance

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Sustainable Materials Science
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Biobased olefin-like materials are desirable for environmental benefits but are scarce.
• Existing biobased olefin-like materials are primarily polyesters, limiting options.
• Developing nonpolyester alternatives is crucial for expanding sustainable material choices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel castor oil-based poly(ester amide) (PEA) with polyethylene-like properties.
• To investigate the closed-loop recyclability of the developed PEA material.
• To establish a new pathway for creating sustainable, nonpolyester olefin-like materials.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a castor oil-based poly(ester amide) (PEA).
• Characterization of thermal and mechanical properties.
• Hydrolysis of PEA to its precursors: N¹,N¹⁰-bis(3-hydroxypropyl) decanediamide (DSE) and sebacic acid (SA).
• Repolymerization of recovered precursors to form recycled PEA (REPEA).

Main Results:

• The synthesized PEA demonstrated thermal and mechanical properties comparable to polyethylene.
• PEA exhibited superior performance compared to previously reported linear poly(ester amide)s.
• Complete hydrolysis yielded high recovery rates for DSE (73.1-75.8%) and SA (92.8-96.2%).
• Repolymerization of recovered DSE and SA produced REPEA with equivalent mechanical properties to the original PEA.

Conclusions:

• Achieved closed-loop recycling for biobased linear nonpolyester materials.
• Demonstrated the potential of castor oil-based PEA as a sustainable, recyclable olefin-like material.
• Provided a novel approach for designing environmentally friendly and recyclable materials.