Partially Bio-Based Polyester Bead Foams via Extrusion Foaming of Poly(Butylene Terephthalate)/Poly(Butylene Furanoate) Blends

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Christian Mielke - , Chair of Organic Chemistry of Polymers, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Doris Pospiech - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Justus Kuhnigk - , University of Bayreuth (Author)
  • Andreas Korwitz - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Hartmut Komber - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Rico Bernhardt - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Nico Krebs - , University of Bayreuth (Author)
  • Regine Boldt - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Holger Ruckdaeschel - , University of Bayreuth (Author)
  • Brigitte Voit - , Chair of Organic Chemistry of Polymers, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)

Abstract

The interest in bio-based alternatives to classical polyesters such as poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) is steadily growing to achieve a more sustainable approach to polymer materials. In this study, PBT/poly(butylene furanoate) (PBF) blends are prepared, characterized and extrusion foamed. PBF as a bio-based polyester offers two advantages. The ecological footprint of the material is reduced, and additionally, it can be used in Diels-Alder reactions at the blend surface to support fusion of the foamed beads. The blending behavior of the polyesters is investigated using samples prepared in a microcompounder, particularly focused on the miscibility of the blends and transesterification reactions. The blends are thermodynamically immiscible but show a certain degree of transesterification according to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The morphology of blend beads produced by an extrusion foaming process is analyzed regarding their cell density, cell size distribution, and open-cell content. It is shown that PBF has a positive effect on the bead foam morphology. The use of a bifunctional linker designed for chemical fusion of the bead surfaces allows to obtaining of molded parts, in contrast to beads containing pure PBT.Poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)/poly(butylene furanoate) (PBF) blend bead foams produced by continuous extrusion foaming with supercritical carbondioxide are reported. PBF acts as biobased additive and improves the foam properties (pore size distribution, cell density, average pore size, open-cell content). Chemical fusion using the furan functionalities is successfully performed by coating the beads with a Diels-Alder linker.image

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number2300281
Number of pages12
JournalMacromolecular materials and engineering
Volume308 (2023)
Issue number10
Early online dateSept 2023
Publication statusPublished - 7 Sept 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85169894241
ORCID /0000-0002-4531-691X/work/148608016
Mendeley 650d4a4e-a347-3928-ac9d-9936c3c4afb3

Keywords

Keywords

  • Pbf, pbt, Blends, Extrusion foaming, Poly(butylene furanoate), Poly(butylene terephthalate), Polyesters, PBF, PBT, blends, extrusion foaming, poly(butylene furanoate), poly(butylene terephthalate), polyesters