Bio-based poly(ester amide): mechanical, thermal and biodegradable behaviors

Poly(ester amide)s have cropped up as an interesting group of polymeric materials entailing excellent mechanical and thermal properties on the ground of typical confinement of ester and amide connectivity in the polymeric chains. Howsoever, extensive usage of polymers derived from conventional petroleum sources is posing a major threat to ecosystem sustainability. In this facet, a bio-based water-soluble poly(ester amide) was synthesized using an environmentally benign route devoid of usage of any solvent. Citric acid, glycerol and hexamethylenediamine were used as the core raw materials for carrying out the synthetic reaction via a polycondensation route. The prepared polymeric resin was characterized using various spectroscopic techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ¹H-NMR (Nuclear magnetic resonance), ¹³C-NMR etc. Poly(vinyl alcohol) was further incorporated to modify the resin. Different compositions of resin/poly(vinyl alcohol) were prepared and used to evaluate their performance. The polymeric films exemplified splendid mechanical attributes namely tensile strength (7–8 MPa), elongation at break (1380–2166%), and toughness (4082–9812 MJm⁻³) along with satisfactory thermal stability (above 210 °C) and good transparency. Moreover, they possess biodegradability aspects; thereby endowing the characteristics which can overcome the shortcomings of petroleum-derived synthetic poly(ester amide)s and subsequently be utilized in various potential applications, especially as environmentally friendly coating materials.