Cellulose and Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) as biobased precursors of thermoplastic and thermoset materials : the physical transitions of the biopolymers and elaboration of composites

The cellulose and the poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) were the two main biobased polymeric precursors employed in this thesis work. Two complementary investigation pathways were explored which respectively focus on the fundamental aspects and on elaboration of composites from these precursors. First, the glass transition and both the melt/glass non-isothermal crystallization of PEF were investigated. A kinetic approach of these transitions revealed a peculiar behavior of PEF which is useful to better understand its processing. In addition, the high-temperature transition of cellulose Iβ was for the first time explored by means of complementary thermo-analytical and spectroscopic techniques. On the other hand, the controlled periodate oxidation of one single cellulose source was employed to generate thermoset-like “all-cellulose composites” marked by their high mechanical performances. Finally, combination of PEF and cellulose nanocrystals allows to obtain transparent thermoplastic composites in which the cellulosic entities might have nucleating effects.