Bio-based thermoplastic poly(ether-ester) elastomers from 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid with high stiffness and elasticity

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), as a class of essential materials, play an important role in manufacturing, engineering, medical and military fields due to their excellent properties. However, the elastomers often underperform and suffer from the familiar trade-off between stiffness and high elasticity. In this study, thiophenedicarboxylic acid (TDCA), a class of potential bio-based aromatic monomers was used for the design and synthesis of high performance TPE. Poly(propylene thiophenedicarboxylate) (PPThF) possessing a surprising crystallization ability was proposed to use as an ideal hard segment, and a series of poly(ether-ester) copolymers were designed. Results showed that the well-defined reprocessable poly(ether-ester) elastomers demonstrated impressive ultra-high elastic modulus (>120 MPa), elasticity ( η r (1) = 55 %, and by adjusting the sequence structure, η r (1) can be further improved to as high as 73 %) and melting temperature ( T m  = 164 °C). Plus, the TDCA-based TPEEs showed excellent biocompatibility and bacteriostatic effect. This innovative work not only provides an alternative choice for the fabrication of high performance bio-based TPE, but also resolves the irreconcilable contradiction between stiffness and elasticity.