A process includes providing furan-2,5-dicarboxylic dimethyl ester (FDME), reacting the FDME with a Grignard reagent to form a bis-alkylketone furan having R groups selected from the group consisting of a C1-C20 linear alkyl chain, a C2-C24 branched alkyl chain, and a hydrogen atom. An additional process includes mixing a 3,4-dibrominated bis-alkylketone furan with potassium carbonate, and adding ethyl-mercaptoacetate to the mixture. This process also includes stirring the mixture to form a bis-alkyl-DTF diester fused ring structure, which is then brominated to form a dibromo-DTF compound.