Resorcinol: A potentially bio-based building block for the preparation of sustainable polyesters

• A sustainable synthesis of 1,3-bis(hydroxyethoxy)resorcinol (HER) was performed.
• Polyesterification of HER with different diacids was carried out.
• The obtained polyesters showed amorphous character and high thermal stability.
• The relationship between structure and properties of these materials was studied.
• A one-pot polyesterification avoiding purification steps was developed.

Potentially bio-based aromatic polyesters with a kinked structure based on resorcinol have been successfully prepared. The process involves an optimized reaction between resorcinol and ethylene carbonate: the diol thus obtained was polymerized with several aliphatic and aromatic dicarboxylic acids. The chemical structure and the thermal properties of the new polyesters were analyzed in order to find correlations between structure and properties. All the polymers present a high thermal stability and are mainly amorphous, with a wide range of glass transition temperatures, according to the diacid structures. On the basis of the results it is clear that resorcinol, which can be derived from renewable resources, is a potential bio-based aromatic monomer, suitable to prepare amorphous polyesters containing 1,3 substituted aromatic moieties, for coating and packaging applications.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide