Poly(butylene Succinate-co-butylene Brassylate) Derived from Brassylic Acid: Structures and Properties

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), a biodegradable material, has excellent mechanical properties and processing properties. Brassylic acid (BA) is a kind of diacid with long chains derived from biomass. In this study, poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene brassylate) is synthesized to investigate the effects of BA on the structure and properties of PBS. The relationship between the melting temperature of copolyesters and the content of butylene brassylate units is V-shaped, which is typical of isodimorphic random copolyesters. Due to the introduction of BA, the density of unstable ester bonds in copolyesters gradually decreases and the initial thermal decomposition temperature of copolyesters gradually increases with the increase of BA. The dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the glass transition temperature of PBS was reduced by the introduction of BA. When the BA content is 25%, the copolyesters and PBS have the same crystal structure. When the BA content is 50–100%, the copolyesters and poly(butylene brassylate) have the same crystal structure, which indicates that the butylene brassylate units are easier to crystallize than the butylene succinate units. The ductility of copolyesters increases with the addition of BA. When the BA content is 50%, the elongation at break reaches the maximum (> 2000%). The copolyesters are suited for films due to high elongation at break.