Influence of bio-based 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid on the properties of water-borne polyurethane dispersions

Two sets of polyesters derived from 1,6-hexanediol, succinic acid, and varying amounts of a second aromatic dicarboxylic acid have been prepared. In the first set, isophthalic acid has been used as an established rigid building block for these types of materials. In the second set, isophthalic acid was replaced by the bio-based aromatic diacid 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid. The structure and properties of the polyesters have been characterized. All polyesters prepared were subsequently used as polyols for the synthesis of water-borne polyurethane dispersions. Films were prepared from the aqueous dispersions to characterize the performance of the materials. It was observed that the bio-based 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid not only has similar beneficial effects on the thermal and mechanical properties of the polyurethane coatings, but in some cases, like pendulum hardness, tensile strength and glass transition temperature, it was even able to surpasses the properties of its fossil-based counterpart.