Solid-state structure and thermal characteristics of a sustainable biobased copolymer: Poly(butylene succinate-co-furanoate)

In this work, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), which is a well-established aliphatic polyester with excellent mechanical and thermal properties, was copolymerized with 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid (FCDA) by melt polycondensation, for the formation of a poly(butylene succinate-co-furanoate) (PBSF) copolymer. The structural characteristics of the copolymer (PBSF) and both homopolymers (PBS, poly(butylene furanoate) − PBF) were studied by both wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), while polarized light optical microscopy (PLOM) was utilized for the study of the spherulites grown at different temperatures. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used extensively for the evaluation of the thermal characteristics of the copolymer. The melting temperature and the glass transition of PBSF were observed at 106 °C and −29 °C respectively, while a depression of the melting point was also observed, compared to the homopolymers. The crystallization kinetics of the copolymer under isothermal and dynamic conditions were also studied using the Lauritzen–Hoffman and Avrami models.