FURAN POLYMERS AND THEIR REACTIONSUnderstand furan polymers and their roles in industrial productionFurans are platform chemicals from biomass which have a range of functions in the production of solvents, biofuels, and monomers for industrial polymer synthesis. As the search for sustainable industrial processes makes biomass resources ever more vital, a more detailed understanding of these compounds and their industrial uses has never been more critical.Furan Polymers and their Reactions surveys these crucial compounds and their contributions to polymer synthesis. It discusses the biorefinery of furans, identifies furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural as the key furan monomer precursors for different polymer synthetic processes, and analyzes all the major reactions furans undergo during these processes and the structures, properties and applications of the ensuing materials. The results are a vital contribution to the growing field of renewable industry.Furan Polymers and their Reactions readers will also find:* Detailed analysis of key polymerization reactions such as the Diels-Adler reaction, chain-growth and step-growth polymerizations, as well as the chemical modifications of some of these polymers.* An authorial team with decades of combined experience in furan chemistry and polymer synthesisFuran Polymers and their Reactions is an essential resource for researchers and professionals in industrial engineering, polymer science, and biotechnology, as well as for any industry professionals working with platform chemicals or polymer synthesis.

Foreword viiPreface viii1 A Brief History 12 The Peculiar Chemical Features of the Furan Heterocycle and the Synthesis of Furfural and Hydroxymethylfurfural 32.1 Free Radical Reactions 32.2 Electrophilic Reactions 52.3 Photochemistry 52.4 Hydrolysis Reactions 92.5 The Diels-Alder Reaction 102.6 Furfural and Hydroxymethylfurfural as Industrial Commodities and as Building Blocks for Furan Monomers 113 Polymers from Furfural and Furfuryl Alcohol 183.1 Furfural Resins 183.2 Furfuryl Alcohol Resins 214 Polymers from Chain Polyaddition Reactions 374.1 Free Radical Systems 374.2 Cationic Systems 424.3 Anionic Systems 514.4 Stereospecific Systems 575 Polymers from Polycondensation (Step) Reactions 615.1 Polyesters 615.2 Polyamides 905.3 Polyurethanes 1035.4 Polyureas, Polyparabanic Acids, Polybenzoxazines, polySchiff Bases, and Polyhydrazides 1145.5 Conjugated Furan Oligomers and Polymers 1245.6 Epoxy Resins 1346 The Furan/Maleimide Diels-Alder Reaction Applied to Polymer Synthesis and Modification 1476.1 Polycondensations (Step-growth Polymerizations) 1486.2 Polymer Modification and Cross-linking 1566.3 Miscellaneous Systems 1806.4 A New Paradigm: Aromatics from Furans 1867 Chemical and Biological Degradation 1928 General Conclusions 200Index 202