Biobased Poly(2,5-furandimethylene succinate-co-butylene succinate) Crosslinked by Reversible Diels-Alder Reaction

We synthesized biobased poly(2,5-furandimethylene succinate-co-butylene succinate) [P(FS-co-BS)] copolymers by polycondensation of 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan, 1,4-butanediol, and succinic acid. These copolymers could be crosslinked to form network polymers by means of a reversible Diels-Alder reaction with bis-maleimide. The thermal properties, mechanical properties, and healing abilities of the P(FS-co-BS)s and the network polymers were investigated. The mechanical properties of the network polymers depended on the comonomer composition of the P(FS-co-BS)s and the maleimide/furan ratio in the network polymers. Some of the copolymers exhibited healing ability at room temperature, and their healing efficiency was enhanced by solvent or heat. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 216-222