First example of unsaturated poly(ester amide)s derived from itaconic acid and their application as bio-based UV-curing polymers

Recently, itaconic acid has drawn considerable attention as a novel radical-curing building block for polyester resins. These bio-based materials have been used in thermal, as well as ultra violet (UV) curing applications, such as printing inks or coatings. Poly(ester amide)s from itaconic acid could be very interesting, as the amide group could alter the properties of the resins as well as cured materials. However, standard polycondensation reactions with diamines are not possible with itaconic acid as the amines preferably react via an aza-Michael addition at the a,v-unsaturated double bond. Therefore, alternative and more elaborate synthetic strategies have to be developed. Herein, we present two different synthetic strategies to poly(ester amide)s from itaconic acid that circumvent the addition reaction of the amines. This is in both cases done by a pre-reaction to form stable amide building blocks that are then reacted with itaconic acid or polyesters derived thereof. The structural composition and the properties of the resin are characterized, and the UV-curing reactivity is examined. All properties are compared to corresponding polyesters from itaconic acid.