Biobased polyester obtained from bifunctional monomers through metathesis of fatty acids as precursor to synthesis of polyurethanes

Biobased unsaturated aliphatic polyesters and polyurethanes were obtained from fatty acid monomers with double functionality synthesized through cross-metathesis of oleic acid and oleic alcohol. The chemical structure and thermal behavior of the monomers and polymers were analyzed by several physicochemical tests, and oscillatory rheometry and optical microscopy were used to determine their rheological properties and to observe the crystal formation of the obtained polyesters, respectively. It has been found that the polyesterification reaction depends on reaction temperature and to a lesser degree on both the reaction time and catalyst addition. The melt temperature and enthalpy of the obtained biobased polymers show that the monomer chain length has an effect on both the crystallinity and thermal transitions of the polymers, as can be explained by a group contribution analysis showing excellent correlation. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47095.