Tuneable properties of furan-based copolymers synthesized via enzymatic polycondensation and using vegetable-oil based monomer as building block
Martyna Sokołowska, Mirosława El Fray*

West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Department of Polymer and Biomaterials Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Al. Piastów 45, 71-311, Szczecin, Poland
*mirfray@zut.edu.pl

The increasing depletion of petrochemical resources and the growing concern over environmental pollution has led to the need for the development of sustainable and renewable polymer materials [1]. The use of renewable resources in polymer synthesis is therefore critical, and furan-based monomers have emerged as promising alternatives to phenyl-based polymers due to their structural similarity [2,3]. Moreover, the use of enzymes as green catalysts presents a new approach to develop sustainable and high-performance polyesters for various industrial applications. The study investigated the effect of the chain length of aliphatic diol on the molecular weight, melting temperature, thermomechanical properties, chemical and crystalline structure of the copolymers containing furan- and vegetable oil (dilinoleic diol)-based monomers as building blocks.X-ray diffraction analysis (Figure 1) revealed that the copolymers are semicrystalline and crystallize into β-form crystals. Furthermore, the dynamic thermomechanical analysis demonstrated that the diol structure exerted a considerable influence on their mechanical properties. The research sheds light on the relationship between the chemical structure of starting materials and the properties of bio-based copolymers serving as valuable optimization tool towards their final industrial applications. The use of renewable resources and enzymatic catalysis in the synthesis of bio-based copolymers reduces dependence on non-renewable petroleum-based materials, supports sustainability efforts, and has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Acknowledgements
This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 872152 (GREEN MAP). An international project co-financed by the program of the Minister of Science and Higher Education entitled "PMW" in the years 2000-2023; contract No. 5091/H2020/2020/2 is acknowledged.

References
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