New copolyester, bio-based and CO2-based, marine-degradable

Recently, researchers from the Sustainable Chemistry (ISC) group at the Van’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands have developed a new type of bio- and CO2-based PISOX polymer with a short polymerization time (<5 hours), no need for catalysts, and surprising properties and applications. In a paper published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, they introduced this new polyester and discussed its potential. Isosorbide-based polyoxalate (PISOX), the main raw materials are oxalic acid and isosorbide, both of which are available from renewable resources and are known to provide good material properties. From the perspective of cost (atomic efficiency and energy investment), oxalic acid is the most attractive product obtained from CO2. The production of oxalic acid from CO2 by room-temperature electrochemical reduction is currently under development, which is an excellent example of carbon capture and utilization. Oxalic acid is the simplest dicarboxylic acid: two carboxyl groups are directly connected to each other, which provides excellent acidity, resulting in high reactivity and rigidity. Isosorbide is a bio-based chemical that can be obtained from the dehydration of sorbitol and has been produced on an industrial scale. It is a rigid, chiral and non-toxic molecule containing two secondary hydroxyl groups.To map the physical properties of PISOX copolymers, the researchers copolymerized several common diols with isosorbide and DGO (diguaiacol oxalate) in different proportions. The molecular weight, thermal properties, barrier properties, mechanical properties, and biodegradability in soil and water of the resulting polymers were analyzed. Different comonomers used in this study Different PISOX copolymers were processed into films and tensile rods with a thickness of about 100μm for performance testing. The results showed that PISOX has excellent thermal, mechanical and barrier properties. Its oxygen barrier performance is 35 times higher than that of PLA and 117 times higher than that of PBAT.The mechanical properties are comparable to those of high-performance thermoplastics (PISOX copolymers have an ultimate tensile modulus of 62.2–86.7 MPa, a yield strength of 44.0–62.1 MPa, a Young’s modulus of 2559–3922 MPa, and an elongation at break of 175–219%), and the glass transition temperature can be adjusted to 167°C by adjusting the comonomer incorporation. What really makes this high-performance material unique is that it decomposes into carbon dioxide and biomass in just a few months in soil under home composting conditions and hydrolyzes in less than a year in water at 20°C without the need for enzymes. This unique combination of properties has the potential to be used in a variety of applications, such as biomedical uses, waterproof coatings, compostable plastic bags for horticulture and agriculture, and packaging plastics with reduced environmental impact. As a follow-up to the research presented in the paper, current research is being conducted