Synthesis of readily recyclable biobased plastics by Diels-Alder reaction.

Readily recyclable biobased plastics were designed and synthesized utilizing the thermally reversible DA reaction. Furyl-telechelic poly(butylene succinate) prepolymers (PBSF(2)) were extended with bis- and tris-maleimide linkers (M(2) and M(3)) by the DA reaction in the bulk state to produce linear and network polymers, respectively. The DA reaction was able to proceed at 25-80 degrees C, at which crystalline domains of PBSF(2) were present. In the linear polymer system, the molecular weight in the reaction equilibrium was dependent on the chain length of the prepolymer, but almost independent of the reaction temperature. The cycle of DA and retro-DA reactions was repeatable with no prepolymer deterioration.