(354b) Steps Toward Bio-Sourced Packaging: Effect of Composition and Processing on Properties of Co-Polyesters of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) with 2,5-Furan Dicarboxylic Acid

Polyethlylene terephthalate (PET) is widely used for packaging applications due to its unique thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties, along with excellet optical clarity. It is synthesized from petroleum based monomers, terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG), by melt polymerization. In recent years, there has been increased academic and industrial interest in developing bio-sourced monomers for synthesis of PET and PET analogues. Upsurge in the field of biomass conversion has made economic production of furanics from non-food feedstocks feasible and opened a pathway for a host of novel polymer systems.