Bio-based semi-aromatic polyesters for coating applications

Linear and branched bio-based semi-aromatic (co)polyesters were evaluated as resins for solvent-based and powder coatings. Dimethyl-2,5-furandicarboxylate (DMF), 2,3-butanediol and various multifunctional comonomers were used to synthesize amorphous hydroxyl-end-capped (co)polyesters. The resins were cross-linked using the ¿-caprolactam blocked trimer of isophorone diisocyanate. Both the solvent-based and powder coatings proved to be hard but brittle, which was a result of the very stiff molecular structure of the formed network. This was corroborated by the Tg values obtained for the coatings, which exceeded 100 °C for both the solvent-based and powder coatings. The poly(ester urethane) coatings prepared from the branched copolyesters show a reasonable solvent resistance. However, swelling occurred during the solvent treatment, indicating an insufficient network formation. The solvent-based and powder coatings exhibit similar mechanical and physical performance, showing that in this study there was no significant influence of the preparation method. In view of the obtained results it can be concluded that DMF-based branched polyesters are interesting candidates for solvent-based and powder coating applications