Worldwide efforts have increased greatly to identify polymeric building blocks that are not derived from fossil fuels and to employ these monomers to create polymers that readily degrade in natural environments.  We have developed novel methods for synthesizing linear thermoplastic polymers from a variety of biogenic feedstocks, including sugars, triglycerides, lignin, and C1 feedstocks that can be obtained from trees.  This presentation will focus on methodology that directly converts renewable aromatic molecules�such as vanillin and ferulic acid�into polyesters.  Facile conversion of vanillin and ferulic acid in polymerizable monomers as well as copolymerization strategies are crucial for tuning the polymeric thermal properties.  These novel thermoplastics will be discussed in the context of replacing specific fossil fuel-based plastics.

Pinpointing the thermal properties of renewable polyesters derived from lignin

246th National Meeting (2013)

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