Understand furan polymers and their roles in industrial production

Furans are platform chemicals from biomass which have a range of functions in the production of solvents, biofuels, and monomers for industrial polymer synthesis. As the search for sustainable industrial processes makes biomass resources ever more vital, a more detailed understanding of these compounds and their industrial uses has never been more critical.

Furan Polymers and their Reactionssurveys these crucial compounds and their contributions to polymer synthesis. It discusses the biorefinery of furans, identifies furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural as the key furan monomer precursors for different polymer synthetic processes, and analyzes all the major reactions furans undergo during these processes and the structures, properties and applications of the ensuing materials. The results are a vital contribution to the growing field of renewable industry.

Furan Polymers and their Reactionsreaders will also find:Detailed analysis of key polymerization reactions such as the Diels-Adler reaction, chain-growth and step-growth polymerizations, as well as the chemical modifications of some of these polymers.An authorial team with decades of combined experience in furan chemistry and polymer synthesis

Furan Polymers and their Reactionsis an essential resource for researchers and professionals in industrial engineering, polymer science, and biotechnology, as well as for any industry professionals working with platform chemicals or polymer synthesis.

Alessandro Gandini, PhD,is a retired professor from the National Polytechnic Institute, Grenoble, France and subsequently worked as an invited teacher and researcher at the Universities of São Paulo, Brazil, Aveiro, Portugal and Bologna, Italy. He is a pioneering researcher in the field of polymers from renewable resources.

Talita Martins Lacerda, PhD,is an Assistant Professor at the Lorena School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Brazil. She has researched and published extensively in the field of polymer synthesis from biomass resources.

Foreword vii

Preface viii

1 A Brief History 1

2 The Peculiar Chemical Features of the Furan Heterocycle and the Synthesis of Furfural and Hydroxymethylfurfural 3

2.1 Free Radical Reactions 3

2.2 Electrophilic Reactions 5

2.3 Photochemistry 5

2.4 Hydrolysis Reactions 9

2.5 The DielsAlder Reaction 10

2.6 Furfural and Hydroxymethylfurfural as Industrial Commodities and as Building Blocks for Furan Monomers 11

3 Polymers from Furfural and Furfuryl Alcohol 18

3.1 Furfural Resins 18

3.2 Furfuryl Alcohol Resins 21

4 Polymers from Chain Polyaddition Reactions 37

4.1 Free Radical Systems 37

4.2 Cationic Systems 42

4.3 Anionic Systems 51

4.4 Stereospecific Systems 57

5 Polymers from Polycondensation (Step) Reactions 61

5.1 Polyesters 61

5.2 Polyamides 90

5.3 Polyurethanes 103

5.4 Polyureas, Polyparabanic Acids, Polybenzoxazines, polySchiff Bases, and Polyhydrazides 114

5.5 Conjugated Furan Oligomers and Polymers 124

5.6 Epoxy Resins 134

6 The Furan/Maleimide DielsAlder Reaction Applied to Polymer Synthesis and Modification 147

6.1 Polycondensations (Step-growth Polymerizations) 148

6.2 Polymer Modification and Cross-linking 156

6.3 Miscellaneous Systems 180

6.4 A New Paradigm: Aromatics from Furans 186

7 Chemical and Biological Degradation 192

8 General Conclusions 200

Index 202