A Review on Biobased AB-Type Aromatic Polyesters: Monomer Design, Polymer Synthesis, and Material Properties
(2025) KPOL01 20251Centre for Analysis and Synthesis
- Abstract
- In the search for sustainable alternatives to fossil-based aromatic polyesters like PET, there has been a growing attention to design and synthesize bio-based aromatic AB-type monomers for the development of versatile biobased polyesters with suitable properties toward various applications. This review focuses on the molecular design and synthesis of biobased aromatic AB-type monomers, their polymerization to fabricate a variety of polyesters, and their important characteristics and performance.
An important class of bio-based resources for AB-type aromatic monomers that can be used for polyester synthesis are various lignin-sourced mono-aromatic molecules, which can either be commercially available (e.g., vanillin) or in the research... (More) - In the search for sustainable alternatives to fossil-based aromatic polyesters like PET, there has been a growing attention to design and synthesize bio-based aromatic AB-type monomers for the development of versatile biobased polyesters with suitable properties toward various applications. This review focuses on the molecular design and synthesis of biobased aromatic AB-type monomers, their polymerization to fabricate a variety of polyesters, and their important characteristics and performance.
An important class of bio-based resources for AB-type aromatic monomers that can be used for polyester synthesis are various lignin-sourced mono-aromatic molecules, which can either be commercially available (e.g., vanillin) or in the research and development stage (e.g. vanillic acid, syringaldehyde, acetovanillone, etc.). Other biobased aromatic resources include furan and indole derivatives, which can be produced from polysaccharides and wastewater streams. Key synthetic strategies to fabricate AB-type aromatic monomers are based on O-alkylation (for lignin-based and furan-based monomers) or N-alkylation (for indole-based monomers).
Polymerization is conventionally achieved through two-step melt polycondensation for hydroxy-carboxylic and hydroxy-ester monomers, while melt condensation is used for less reactive phenol ester -carboxylic AB monomers. Concurrent polycondensation and ring-opening polymerization are implemented for four copolymers with hydroxy acids comonomers. The impact of the catalyst, along with the reaction conditions like temperature and vacuum time, is discussed, particularly in terms of the molecular weight of the obtained polymers.
Thermal properties are most frequently reported for the new AB-type aromatic polyesters. Most of the reported biobased aromatic AB-type polyesters exhibit decent thermal stability, while their glass transition temperatures (Tg) are influenced by the rigidity of the monomer and comonomer structures and the molecular weight of the resulting polymer. Crystallinity is not always present in AB-type aromatic polyesters. In general, polymers with linear, less hindered regular structures tend to have crystallinity with a melting temperature (Tm) tunable in the range 112-264 °C.
Overall, bio-based aromatic AB-type monomers present potential strategies for producing sustainable polyesters with comparable performance characteristics to many commonly used aromatic fossil-based polyesters such as PET, PBT, etc. Further development in monomer diversity, greener synthesis, and process optimization is essential for future scalability and industrial relevance. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- Polyesters are everywhere in daily life, from water bottles and food packaging to clothing and electronics. But most of the polyesters are made from fossil fuels, which raises environmental concerns. To build a greener future, there is a growing demand for utilizing bio-based sources to design building blocks suitable for polyester production.
This thesis reviews a promising approach to design aromatic AB-type monomers from renewable resources, along with polymerization and thermal properties of the resulting polyesters. These materials are designed to mimic the strong and versatile conventional plastics, like PET, but made from plant-based building blocks. For example, lignin, a major component of wood, can be broken down into smaller... (More) - Polyesters are everywhere in daily life, from water bottles and food packaging to clothing and electronics. But most of the polyesters are made from fossil fuels, which raises environmental concerns. To build a greener future, there is a growing demand for utilizing bio-based sources to design building blocks suitable for polyester production.
This thesis reviews a promising approach to design aromatic AB-type monomers from renewable resources, along with polymerization and thermal properties of the resulting polyesters. These materials are designed to mimic the strong and versatile conventional plastics, like PET, but made from plant-based building blocks. For example, lignin, a major component of wood, can be broken down into smaller molecules, like vanillin, which can then be turned into monomers. Other options include molecules derived from indole or furan. Depending on the source, different chemical strategies are used to design and prepare these monomers so that they can be successfully turned into plastics.
The review highlights how these bio-based polyesters perform compared to fossil-based ones. Many of them show good stability at high temperatures, and their flexibility can be tuned depending on the molecular structure. Some can even form crystalline materials, with melting points that make them suitable for real-world applications like packaging, textiles, or electronics.
Overall, the results show that bio-based aromatic AB-type polyesters have the potential to compete with, and in some cases complement, traditional plastics. However, challenges remain in scaling up production, making the synthesis greener, and diversifying the available building blocks. With further development, these sustainable materials could play an important role in reducing our dependence on fossil resources while still meeting society’s demand for versatile plastics. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9211610
- author
- Nguyen, Kathleen LU
- supervisor
-
- Baozhong Zhang LU
- Tam Nguyen LU
- organization
- course
- KPOL01 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- biobased materials, green chemistry, aromatic AB-type monomers, aromatic AB-type polyesters, polyesters, plastics, lignin, indole, furan, polymer technology
- language
- English
- additional info
- The report is of confidential concern and should not be shared upon external request.
- id
- 9211610
- date added to LUP
- 2025-09-11 12:01:18
- date last changed
- 2025-09-11 12:01:18
@misc{9211610,
abstract = {{In the search for sustainable alternatives to fossil-based aromatic polyesters like PET, there has been a growing attention to design and synthesize bio-based aromatic AB-type monomers for the development of versatile biobased polyesters with suitable properties toward various applications. This review focuses on the molecular design and synthesis of biobased aromatic AB-type monomers, their polymerization to fabricate a variety of polyesters, and their important characteristics and performance.
An important class of bio-based resources for AB-type aromatic monomers that can be used for polyester synthesis are various lignin-sourced mono-aromatic molecules, which can either be commercially available (e.g., vanillin) or in the research and development stage (e.g. vanillic acid, syringaldehyde, acetovanillone, etc.). Other biobased aromatic resources include furan and indole derivatives, which can be produced from polysaccharides and wastewater streams. Key synthetic strategies to fabricate AB-type aromatic monomers are based on O-alkylation (for lignin-based and furan-based monomers) or N-alkylation (for indole-based monomers).
Polymerization is conventionally achieved through two-step melt polycondensation for hydroxy-carboxylic and hydroxy-ester monomers, while melt condensation is used for less reactive phenol ester -carboxylic AB monomers. Concurrent polycondensation and ring-opening polymerization are implemented for four copolymers with hydroxy acids comonomers. The impact of the catalyst, along with the reaction conditions like temperature and vacuum time, is discussed, particularly in terms of the molecular weight of the obtained polymers.
Thermal properties are most frequently reported for the new AB-type aromatic polyesters. Most of the reported biobased aromatic AB-type polyesters exhibit decent thermal stability, while their glass transition temperatures (Tg) are influenced by the rigidity of the monomer and comonomer structures and the molecular weight of the resulting polymer. Crystallinity is not always present in AB-type aromatic polyesters. In general, polymers with linear, less hindered regular structures tend to have crystallinity with a melting temperature (Tm) tunable in the range 112-264 °C.
Overall, bio-based aromatic AB-type monomers present potential strategies for producing sustainable polyesters with comparable performance characteristics to many commonly used aromatic fossil-based polyesters such as PET, PBT, etc. Further development in monomer diversity, greener synthesis, and process optimization is essential for future scalability and industrial relevance.}},
author = {{Nguyen, Kathleen}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{A Review on Biobased AB-Type Aromatic Polyesters: Monomer Design, Polymer Synthesis, and Material Properties}},
year = {{2025}},
}