{"id":{"repo_id":"njit","oai_identifier":"oai:digitalcommons.njit.edu:theses-1254"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/njit/oai:digitalcommons.njit.edu:theses-1254","repository":{"repo_id":"njit","name":"NJIT","base_url":"https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Synthesis of a renewable sourced thermotropic polyester with 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid","abstract":"With the rapid depletion of non-renewable sourced materials, unpredictable fluctuations in the prices of fossil fuels, and increased environmental awareness the need to develop biobased materials grows ever more desperate. Furan derivatives sourced from hexoses provide a promising solution for replacing petrochemical based materials. One furan derivative in particular, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), is especially promising due to its structural similarity to terephthalic acid and potential for use in the production of polyesters similar to PET, PPT, and PBT. This study investigated the synthesis, thermal and liquid crystalline properties of a totally renewable sourced thermotropic polyester based on FDCA. Fructose was converted to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which was then used to synthesize the FDCA monomer. A polycondensation reaction involving 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroquinone, and FDCA was subsequently carried out to produce a random mesogenic polyester. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was used to analyze the backbone structure of the polymer. Thermal analysis performed on a DSC demonstrated a glass transition temperature and overlapping nematic and isotropic melt phases, suggesting that the polyester is biphasic. This biphasic characteristic was supported by the observations made through an optical microscope with crossed polarizers. The polymer demonstrated both isotropic properties and birefringence with the formation of nematic droplets in the melt. These results exemplify the potential for FDCA derived polyesters to replace their petrochemical derived counterparts.","abstract_html":"With the rapid depletion of non-renewable sourced materials, unpredictable fluctuations in the prices of fossil fuels, and increased environmental awareness the need to develop biobased materials grows ever more desperate. Furan derivatives sourced from hexoses provide a promising solution for replacing petrochemical based materials. One furan derivative in particular, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), is especially promising due to its structural similarity to terephthalic acid and potential for use in the production of polyesters similar to PET, PPT, and PBT. This study investigated the synthesis, thermal and liquid crystalline properties of a totally renewable sourced thermotropic polyester based on FDCA. Fructose was converted to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which was then used to synthesize the FDCA monomer. A polycondensation reaction involving 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroquinone, and FDCA was subsequently carried out to produce a random mesogenic polyester. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was used to analyze the backbone structure of the polymer. Thermal analysis performed on a DSC demonstrated a glass transition temperature and overlapping nematic and isotropic melt phases, suggesting that the polyester is biphasic. This biphasic characteristic was supported by the observations made through an optical microscope with crossed polarizers. The polymer demonstrated both isotropic properties and birefringence with the formation of nematic droplets in the melt. These results exemplify the potential for FDCA derived polyesters to replace their petrochemical derived counterparts.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hurst, Alicia Marie Marguerite"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Chemical Engineering - (M.S.)","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Costas G. Gogos","Michael Jaffe","R. P. T. Tomkins"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-01-31T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-01-31T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:22:34Z","subjects":["Renewable sourced thermotropic polyester","2","5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA)","Chemical Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/255","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Costas G. Gogos","Michael Jaffe","R. P. T. Tomkins"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hurst, Alicia Marie Marguerite"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Chemical Engineering - (M.S.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Renewable sourced thermotropic polyester","2","5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA)","Chemical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/255"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["With the rapid depletion of non-renewable sourced materials, unpredictable fluctuations in the prices of fossil fuels, and increased environmental awareness the need to develop biobased materials grows ever more desperate. Furan derivatives sourced from hexoses provide a promising solution for replacing petrochemical based materials. One furan derivative in particular, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), is especially promising due to its structural similarity to terephthalic acid and potential for use in the production of polyesters similar to PET, PPT, and PBT. This study investigated the synthesis, thermal and liquid crystalline properties of a totally renewable sourced thermotropic polyester based on FDCA. Fructose was converted to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which was then used to synthesize the FDCA monomer. A polycondensation reaction involving 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroquinone, and FDCA was subsequently carried out to produce a random mesogenic polyester. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was used to analyze the backbone structure of the polymer. Thermal analysis performed on a DSC demonstrated a glass transition temperature and overlapping nematic and isotropic melt phases, suggesting that the polyester is biphasic. This biphasic characteristic was supported by the observations made through an optical microscope with crossed polarizers. The polymer demonstrated both isotropic properties and birefringence with the formation of nematic droplets in the melt. These results exemplify the potential for FDCA derived polyesters to replace their petrochemical derived counterparts."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Synthesis of a renewable sourced thermotropic polyester with 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Costas G. Gogos","Michael Jaffe","R. P. T. Tomkins"],"dc:creator":["Hurst, Alicia Marie Marguerite"],"dc:description.abstract":["With the rapid depletion of non-renewable sourced materials, unpredictable fluctuations in the prices of fossil fuels, and increased environmental awareness the need to develop biobased materials grows ever more desperate. Furan derivatives sourced from hexoses provide a promising solution for replacing petrochemical based materials. One furan derivative in particular, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), is especially promising due to its structural similarity to terephthalic acid and potential for use in the production of polyesters similar to PET, PPT, and PBT. This study investigated the synthesis, thermal and liquid crystalline properties of a totally renewable sourced thermotropic polyester based on FDCA. Fructose was converted to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which was then used to synthesize the FDCA monomer. A polycondensation reaction involving 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroquinone, and FDCA was subsequently carried out to produce a random mesogenic polyester. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was used to analyze the backbone structure of the polymer. Thermal analysis performed on a DSC demonstrated a glass transition temperature and overlapping nematic and isotropic melt phases, suggesting that the polyester is biphasic. This biphasic characteristic was supported by the observations made through an optical microscope with crossed polarizers. The polymer demonstrated both isotropic properties and birefringence with the formation of nematic droplets in the melt. These results exemplify the potential for FDCA derived polyesters to replace their petrochemical derived counterparts."],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/255"],"dc:subject":["Renewable sourced thermotropic polyester","2","5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA)","Chemical Engineering"],"dc:title":["Synthesis of a renewable sourced thermotropic polyester with 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Chemical Engineering - (M.S.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:22:34Z"}