Process to prepare polyester polymer and polyester polymer obtainable thereby

1. A process to prepare a polyester polymer comprising:

performing a ring-opening polymerization of a cyclic oligomer composition comprising a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units,

wherein the ring-opening polymerization is carried out in the presence of a plasticizer, the plasticizer being a compound which is capable of decreasing at least one of a melting point and a viscosity of the cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units,

wherein a content of the plasticizer is 5 mass % to 60 mass % based on a mass of the cyclic oligomer composition, and

wherein the plasticizer is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a supercritical fluid, an optionally-substituted phenyl ether, an ionic liquid, an optionally-substituted xylene, a polyether, and mixtures thereof.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the plasticizer is at least one selected from the group consisting of: an optionally-substituted phenyl ether, an ionic liquid, an optionally-substituted xylene, and mixtures thereof.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the supercritical fluid is carbon dioxide or the polyether is a glyme.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the ring-opening polymerization step is carried out in the presence of a catalyst.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of: Sb 2 O 3 , SnOct 2 , and a cyclic dibutylin compound.

6. A polyester polymer composition containing a polyester polymer obtainable by the process of claim 1 , wherein the polyester polymer composition contains:

a plasticizer selected from the group consisting of an optionally-substituted phenyl ether, an ionic liquid, an optionally-substituted xylene, a polyether, and mixtures thereof;

a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units; and

either:

(a) a PEF polymer comprising the structure

or

(b) a PBF polymer comprising the structure

wherein n is an integer from 10 to 100,000.

7. The polyester polymer composition of claim 6 , wherein n is an integer from 100 to 10,000.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the cyclic polyester oligomer composition comprising a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units has been prepared in a process comprising:

a reaction step of either:

reacting a monomer component C 1 or D 1 in the presence of an optional catalyst or an optional organic base in a ring closing oligomerization step under conditions of a reaction temperature and reaction time sufficient to yield a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units and of structure Y 1 , wherein the monomer component C 1 comprises the structure

wherein each of the groups A is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, phenyl, aryl, or alkylaryl, and wherein l is an integer from 1 to 100,

wherein

R 1 =OH, OR, halogen, or O-A-OH,

R=optionally substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, phenyl, aryl or alkylaryl,

R 2 =H or

wherein the monomer component D 1 comprises a mixture of the compounds shown below:

and wherein A is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, phenyl, aryl, or alkylaryl, and wherein each of the groups X is an OH, a halogen, or an optionally-substituted alkyloxy, phenoxy, or aryloxy, and wherein the groups X are not OH when A is n-butyl, and wherein the structure Y 1 of the cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units is

wherein m is an integer from 1 to 20; or

reacting a monomer component C 2 or D 2 in the presence of an optional catalyst or optional organic base in a ring closing oligomerization step under conditions of a reaction temperature and reaction time sufficient to yield a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units and of structure Y 2 , wherein the monomer component C 2 comprises the structure

wherein each of the groups B is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, phenyl, aryl, or alkylaryl, wherein l is an integer from 1 to 100, wherein n′ is an integer from 1 to 20, and wherein

R 3 =OH, OR, halogen, or O—(B—O) n′ —H,

R=optionally substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, phenyl, aryl or alkylaryl,

R 4 =H or

the monomer component D 2 comprises a mixture of the compounds shown below:

and wherein each of the groups X is an OH, a halogen, or an optionally-substituted alkyloxy, phenoxy, or aryloxy, each of the groups B is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, phenyl, aryl, or alkylaryl, and n′ is an integer from 1 to 20,

and wherein the structure Y 2 of the cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units is

wherein each of the groups B is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, phenyl, aryl, or alkylaryl, n′ is an integer from 1 to 20, and m is an integer from 1 to 20; and

a separation step in which linear oligomeric polyester species having furanic units are separated and removed from the cyclic oligomeric composition,

wherein:

the reacting of the monomer component C1 or D1 or C 2 or D 2 in the presence of an optional catalyst or optional organic base in the ring closing oligomerization step is carried out in the presence of a solvent selected from the group consisting of: an ionic liquid, an optionally-substituted napthalene, an optionally-substituted aromatic compound, and mixtures thereof, and the reacting of the monomer component C1 or D1 or C 2 or D 2 in the presence of an optional catalyst or optional organic base in a ring closing oligomerization step is optionally carried out in the presence of a zeolite, wherein impurities are absorbed onto the zeolite,

and the separation step in which linear oligomeric polyester species having furanic units are separated and removed from the cyclic oligomeric composition comprises one or more of the following sub-steps:

adding a zeolite and absorbing impurities onto the zeolite,

cooling the cyclic oligomeric composition in order to precipitate out cyclic polyester oligomers having furanic units,

adding an antisolvent in order to precipitate out cyclic polyester oligomers having furanic units, and

separating zeolites having absorbed impurities from the cyclic oligomeric composition.

9. The process of claim 8 , wherein either:

the monomer component is C 1 and A is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, l is an integer from 3 to 25, and m is an integer from 3 to 10,

the monomer component is D 1 and A is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, X is a halogen, or optionally-substituted alkyloxy or phenoxy, and m is an integer from 3 to 10, and wherein the structure of the cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units is one of Y 1 ,

the monomer component is C 2 and B is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, l is an integer from 3 to 25, m is an integer from 3 to 10, and n′ is an integer from 2 to 10,

or

the monomer component is D 2 , and X is an OH, a halogen, or optionally-substituted alkyloxy, phenoxy, or aryloxy, B is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, or phenyl, n′ is an integer from 2 to 10, and m is an integer from 3 to 10, and wherein the structure of the cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units is one of Y 2 .

10. The process of claim 8 , wherein either

the monomer component is C 1 and A is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic C 1 to C 6 alkyl, and l is an integer from 3 to 25, and m is an integer from 3 to 10,

the monomer component is D 1 and A is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic C 1 to C 6 alkyl, X is a halogen, or optionally-substituted alkyloxy or phenoxy, and m is an integer from 3 to 10,

the monomer component is C 2 and wherein B is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic C 1 to C 6 alkyl, l is an integer from 3 to 25, m is an integer from 3 to 10, and n′ is an integer from 2 to 10, or

the monomer component is D 2 , X is a halogen, or an optionally-substituted alkyloxy, phenoxy, or aryloxy, B is an optionally-substituted linear, branched or cyclic C 1 to C 6 alkyl, or phenyl, n′ is an integer from 2 to 10, and m is an integer from 3 to 10.

11. The process of claim 8 , wherein either:

the monomer component is C 1 or C 2 and the reaction temperature is from 100 to 350, ° C., and the reaction time is from 30 to 600 minutes, or

the monomer component is D 1 or D 2 and the reaction temperature is from −10 to 150° C., and the reaction time is from 5 to 240 minutes.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein

the monomer component is C 1 or C 2 and the reaction temperature is from 100 to 350° C., and the reaction time is from 50 to 300 minutes, or

the monomer component is D 1 or D 2 and the reaction temperature is from 0 to 80° C., and the reaction time is from 15 to 120 minutes.

13. The process of claim 8 , wherein either the monomer component C 1 comprises the specific structure

the monomer component D 1 comprises a mixture D 1′ of the compounds shown below:

and the structure Y 1 of the cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units is the specific structure

wherein

R 5 =OH, OR, halogen, or O—CH 2 CH 2 −OH,

R=optionally substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, phenyl, aryl or alkylaryl,

R 6 =H or

and X is a halogen, or an optionally-substituted alkyloxy, phenoxy, or aryloxy, l is an integer from 1 to 100, and m is an integer from 1 to 20.

14. The process of claim 8 , wherein either the monomer component C 1 comprises the specific structure C 1″

or the monomer component D 1 comprises a mixture D 1″ of the compounds shown below:

and the structure Y 1 of the cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units is the specific structure Y 1″

R 7 =OH, OR, halogen, or O—CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 —OH,

R=optionally substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl, phenyl, aryl or alkylaryl,

R 8 =H or

and X is a halogen, or an optionally-substituted alkyloxy, phenoxy, or aryloxy, 1 is an integer from 1 to 100, l is an integer from 1 to 100, and m is an integer from 1 to 20.

15. The process of claim 8 , wherein the optional organic base is present and is a monoamine compound or a compound having the structure:

wherein each of the groups R 9 to R 12 are hydrogen, optionally-substituted alkyl, phenyl, aryl, or alkaryl, and wherein each of the groups R 9 to R 12 may optionally be bonded together by a single or double bond group as part of a cyclic substituent in a cyclic optional organic base.

16. The process of claim 8 , wherein the optional organic base is present and is either:

(1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane), having the structure:

or

(1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undec-7-ene), having the structure:

and wherein (1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane) or (1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undec-7-ene) is optionally used together with an alkyl amine.

17. The process of claim 16 , wherein the alkyl amine is triethylamine.

18. The process of claim 8 , wherein the optional catalyst is either absent or it is present and is a metal alkoxide or metal carboxylate, wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of: tin, zinc, titanium, and aluminium, or

wherein the optional organic base is present in a stoichiometric ratio of from 0.5 to 6 mol relative to 1 mol of all monomer component species used as a reactant in the process.

19. The process of claim 8 , wherein the separation step in which linear oligomeric polyester species having furanic units are separated and removed from the cyclic oligomeric composition comprises one or more additional separation sub-steps of: passing a mobile phase of the cyclic oligomeric composition through a stationary phase, selective precipitation, distillation, extraction, crystallization or combinations thereof.

20. The process of claim 8 , wherein l is an integer from 2 to 50 and m is an integer from 2 to 15.