Nonisocyanate CO2-Based Poly(ester-co-urethane)s with Tunable Performances: A Potential Alternative to Improve the Biodegradability of PBAT

摘要

The objective of this study is to develop a nonisocyanate route to prepare a biodegradable CO2-based poly(ester-co-urethane) (PEU), which has some improved performances when compared with commercial poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). These performances include mechanical properties, biodegradability, and melt processability. Specifically, five bis-alkylcarbamates were synthesized from diamines, methanol, and CO2. Subsequently, 1,4-butanediol (BDO) and dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) reacted with five kinds of CO2-based bis-alkylcarbamates to study the influence of methylene group number on the performances of PEUs. Moreover, the effect of various ratios of aromatic to aliphatic blocks in PEUs on their properties was systematically investigated. Additionally, the hydrolytic stability of synthesized PEUs was evaluated upon the degradation percentage in phosphate-buffered saline. The semicrystalline PEUs with tunable properties exhibit an initial thermal decomposition temperature of over 273.7 degrees C and a T-g above 12.4 degrees C. Due to the presence of hydrogen bonding, the tensile strength is as high as 49 MPa. The designed and synthesized PEUs are promising as a potential biodegradable thermoplastic with superior performances when compared with commercial PBAT.