Synthesis of bio‐based polymeric nanocomposites from acrylated epoxidized soybean oil and montmorillonite clay in the presence of a bio‐based intercalant

Polymeric nanocomposites were synthesized from functionalized soybean‐oil‐based polymer matrix and montmorillonite (MMT) clay using an in situ free radical polymerization reaction. Acrylated epoxidized soybean oil combined with styrene was used as the monomer. Organophilic MMT (OrgMMT) was obtained using a quaternized derivative of methyl oleate, which was synthesized from olive oil triglyceride, as a renewable intercalant. The resultant nanocomposites were characterized using X‐ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The effect of increased nanofiller loading on the thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis. It was found that the desired exfoliated nanocomposite structure was achieved when the OrgMMT loading was 1 and 2 wt%, whereas a partially exfoliated or intercalated nanocomposite was obtained for 3 wt% loading. All the nanocomposites were found to have improved thermal and mechanical properties as compared with virgin acrylated epoxidized soybean‐oil‐based polymer matrix. The nanocomposite containing 2 wt% OrgMMT clay was found to have the highest thermal stability and best dynamic mechanical performance. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis of bio‐based polyurethanes from epoxidized soybean oil and isopropanolamine

Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and isopropanolamine were used to synthesize a new polyol mixture for preparation of bio‐based polyurethanes. The chemical synthetic route for reaction of ESO with isopropanolamine was analyzed by ¹H‐NMR. The results suggested that both ester groups and epoxy groups in ESO had reacted with amino group of isopropanolamine through simultaneous ring‐opening and amidation reactions. Epoxy groups in various situations exhibited different reactivity, and the unreacted epoxy groups were further opened by hydrochloric acid. The synthesized polyol mixture had high hydroxyl number of 317.0 mg KOH/g. A series of polyurethanes were prepared by curing the synthesized polyol mixture with 1,6‐diisocyanatohexance along with different amount of 1,3‐propanediol (PDO) as chain extender. Tensile tests showed that yield strengths of the polyurethanes ranged from 2.74 to 27.76 MPa depending on the content of PDO. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis displayed one glass transition temperature in the range of 24.4–28.7°C for all of the polyurethane samples, and one melt peak at high content of PDO. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that thermal degradations of the polyurethanes started at 240–255°C. In consideration of simple preparation process and renewable property of ESO, the bio‐based polyurethane would have wide range of applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Development of a bio‐based composite material from soybean oil and keratin fibers

A novel bio‐based composite material, suitable for electronic as well as automotive and aeronautical applications, was developed from soybean oils and keratin feather fibers (KF). This environmentally friendly, low‐cost composite can be a substitute for petroleum‐based composite materials. Keratin fibers are a hollow, light, and tough material and are compatible with several soybean (S) resins, such as acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO). The new KFS lightweight composites have a density ρ ≈ 1 g/cm³, when the KF volume fraction is 30%. The hollow keratin fibers were not filled by resin infusion and the composite retained a significant volume of air in the hollow structure of the fibers. Due to the retained air, the dielectric constant, k, of the composite material was in the range of 1.7–2.7, depending on the fiber volume fraction, and these values are significantly lower than the conventional silicon dioxide or epoxy, or polymer dielectric insulators. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the 30 wt % composite was 67.4 ppm/°C; this value is low enough for electronic application and similar to the value of silicon materials or polyimides used in printed circuit boards. The water absorption of the AESO polymer was 0.5 wt % at equilibrium and the diffusion coefficient in the KFS composites was dependent on the keratin fiber content. The incorporation of keratin fibers in the soy oil polymer enhanced the mechanical properties such as storage modulus, fracture toughness, and flexural properties, ca. 100% increase at 30 vol %. The fracture energy of a single keratin fiber in the composite was determined to be about 3 kJ/m² with a fracture stress of about 100–200 MPa. Considerable improvements in the KFS composite properties should be possible by optimization of the resin structure and fiber selection. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 1524–1538, 2005     

紫外光固化环氧豆油丙烯酸酯的制备与表征

将环氧大豆油与丙烯酸反应制备出环氧豆油丙烯酸酯预聚物,讨论了反应温度、反应时间、催化剂、阻聚剂的种类与用量对合成反应的影响,并用红外光谱对产物的结构进行了表征。研究结果表明其最佳反应条件是:催化剂三苯基膦,反应温度110℃,反应时间8h。该预聚树脂可用紫外光固化,其固化膜硬度达3H,且具有较好的柔韧性和附着力。     

Bio-based flame-retardant rigid polyurethane foam with high content of soybean oil polyols containing phosphorus

Rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) is prepared from petroleum-based polyols and isocyanate, which consumes a large amount of petroleum. To alleviate the consumption of petroleum, it is necessary to synthesize green and sustainable polyols. However, the greatest disadvantage of RPUF is its flammability. To reduce the risk of fire caused by RPUF, phosphorylated soybean oil polyol (Polyol-P) and phenyl phospho-soybean oil polyol (Polyol-PPOA) were synthesized by ring-opening reactions of epoxy soybean oil with phosphoric acid and phenylphosphonic acid, respectively. A flame-retardant RPUF was prepared via polymeric 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (p-MDI), which reacted after mixing Polyol-P and Polyol-PPOA with polyether polyol-330N in different proportions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the cell sizes of the RPUF-P and RPUF-PPOA increased first and then decreased and the cell number decreased first and then increased with the increase in the contents of Polyol-P and Polyol-PPOA. Mechanical property tests showed that the compressive strength of the RPUF-P4 reached 0.1 MPa, and the compressive strength of the RPUF-PPOA4 reached 0.07 MPa. The limiting oxygen index values of the RPUF-P4 and RPUF-PPOA4 were 20.9% and 24.3%, respectively. The UL 94 of the RPUFs indicated that the rating of the RPUF-PPOA3 was improved to V-1. The results showed that the flame-retardancy mechanism of the Polyol-P and Polyol-PPOA in the RPUF was based on the charred surface as a physical barrier, which slowed down the decomposition of RPUF and prevented heat and mass transfer between the gas and the condensed phase.     

The study of palm‐oil‐based bio‐polyol on the morphological,acoustic and mechanical properties of flexible polyurethane foams

The focus of this paper was to explore the acoustic properties of flexible polyurethane (FPU) foam modified by palm‐oil‐based polyol (POP). The presence of POP showed a marked influence on the microstructure and mechanical properties of FPU foam. A smaller mean pore diameter can be observed at lower POP content. Indeed, the introduction of POP caused a higher closed pore ratio and an increased air‐flow resistivity, which consequently improved the sound absorption coefficient and transmission loss. In particular, the acoustic performance of the all bio‐based FPU foam was enhanced at low frequency, and the density was lower than that of the reference foam. Additionally, the addition of POP also improved the compressive strength. Conversely, the tensile strength of FPU foam declined with increasing POP content. From this study, the outstanding acoustic ability of bio‐based FPU foam has been proved, with additional advantages of lower density and higher compressive strength. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Thermal and mechanical properties of acrylated expoxidized‐soybean oil‐based thermosets

A series of epoxidized‐soybean oil (ESO) with different epoxyl content were synthesized by in situ epoxidation of soybean oil (SBO). The acrylated epoxidized‐soybean oil (AESO) was obtained by the reaction of ring opening of ESO using acrylic acid as ring opener. The acrylated expoxidized‐soybean oil‐based thermosets have been synthesized by bulk radical polymerization of these AESOs and styrene. The thermal properties of the resins were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo‐gravimetric analysis (TG). The results showed that these resins possess high thermal stability. There were two glass transition temperature of each resin due to the triglycerides structure of the resins. The tensile strength and impact strength of the resins were also recorded, and the tensile strength and impact strength increased as the iodine value of ESO decreased. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Water-blown rigid and flexible polyurethane foams containing epoxidized soybean oil triglycerides

Both rigid and flexible water-blown polyurethane foams were made by replacing 0–50% of Voranol® 490 for rigid foams and Voranol® 4701 for flexible foams in the B-side of foam formulation by epoxidized soybean oil. For rigid water-blown polyurethane foams, density, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity were measured. Although there were no significant changes in density, compressive strength decreased and thermal conductivity decreased first and then increased with increasing epoxidized soybean oil. For flexible water-blown polyurethane foams, density, 50% compression force deflection, 50% constant force deflection, and resilience of foams were measured. Density decreased first and then increased, no changes in 50% compression force deflection first and then increased, increasing 50% constant force deflection, and decreasing resilience with increase in epoxidized soybean oil. It appears that up to 20% of Voranol® 490 could be replaced by epoxidized soybean oil in rigid polyurethane foams. When replacing up to 20% of Voranol® 4701 by epoxidized soybean oil in flexible polyurethane foams, density and 50% compression deflection properties were similar or better than control, but resilience and 50% constant deflection compression properties were inferior. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Thiourethane thermoset coatings from bio‐based thiols

Three bio‐based thiols were synthesized via the thermal thiol‐ene reactions between sucrose soya ester (SSE) and multifunctional thiols; then, thiourethane coatings were produced from these thiols and their coating properties were studied. A series of high bio‐renewable content thiol oligomers were synthesized according to the previously reported thermal thiol‐ene reaction. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) confirmed the complete consumption of the double bonds in SSE, and gel permeation chromatography confirmed the formation of high‐molecular‐weight oligomers. The viscosity of these oligomers remained low due to their compact and branched structures. Thermoset thiourethane coatings were prepared from these thiol oligomers and polyisocyanate trimer resins with dibutyltin diacetate as the catalyst. FTIR spectra confirmed the formation of the thiourethane group. However, coatings based on isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) polyisocyanate resin showed a lower degree of cure because of the decreased resin mobility due to the rigid cyclohexane ring. Generally, all the coatings showed good adhesion to aluminum panels, and had high gloss. However, they exhibited low tensile strength, modulus and chemical resistance due to the flexibility of the fatty acid chain. Coatings based on more rigid IPDI‐based polyisocyanate showed higher T_g, hardness and direct impact resistance compared with the hexamethylene‐diisocyanate (HDI) based polyisocyanate counterparts. Thermogravimetric analysis results showed that coatings based on mercaptanized soybean oil have better thermal stability than those from di‐pentene dimercaptan or glycol di‐3‐mercaptopropionate. Two T_g values were found by both differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis of thiourethanes from HDI‐based polyisocyanate and di‐pentene dimercaptan or glycol di‐3‐mercaptopropionate based oligomers due to phase separation resulting from the poor compatibility between HDI‐based polyisocyanate and the respective oligomers. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Curing kinetics of bio‐based epoxy resin based on epoxidized soybean oil and green curing agent

New thermoset with a high bio‐based content was synthesized by curing epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) with a green curing agent maleopimaric acid catalyzed by 2‐ethly‐4‐methylimidazole. Non‐isothermal differential scanning calorimetry and a relatively new integral isoconversional method were used to analyze the curing kinetic behaviors and determine the activation energy (E_a). The two‐parameter ?esták–Berggren autocatalytic model was applied in the mathematical modeling to obtain the reaction orders and the pro‐exponential factor. For anhydride/epoxy group molar ratio equal to 0.7, E_a decreased from 82.70 to 80.17 kJ/mol when increasing the amount of catalyst from 0.5 to 1.5 phr toward ESO. The reaction orders m and n were 0.4148 and 1.109, respectively. The predicted non‐isothermal curing rates of ?esták–Berggren model matched perfectly with the experimental data. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 147–153, 2017     

Thermal and mechanical behavior of flexible polyurethane‐molded plastic films and water‐blown foams with epoxidized soybean oil

Water‐blown flexible polyurethane foams and molded plastic films were made by replacing 0 to 50% of Voranol® 4701 in the B‐side of foam and plastic film formulation by epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO). Physical properties of foams including density, 50% compression force deflection (CFD), 50% constant deflection compression (CDC), and resilience were determined. A dynamic mechanical spectrometer (DMS) and a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were used to characterize the hard segment (HS) and soft segment (SS) ratio and thermal properties of plastic. Various functional groups in both flexible polyurethane foam and plastic film were characterized using Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR‐ATR). When increasing the ESBO content, both density and 50% CFD of water‐blown polyurethane foams decreased first, then increased. On the other hand, the 50% CDC and resilience of foams showed a sharp increase and decrease, respectively. When increasing the ESBO content, the peak of tan δ in DMS analysis and Δc_p in DSC analysis of plastic films both decreased indicating the hard segment increased and the soft segment decreased in plastic film, respectively. The FTIR‐ATR results also show the hydrogen‐bonded urethane group increased in plastic films with increasing ESBO content. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and properties of multihydroxy soybean oil from soybean oil and polymeric methylene‐diphenyl‐ 4,4′‐diisocyanate/multihydroxy soybean oil polyurethane adhesive to wood

The reactive multihydroxy soybean oil (MHSBO) was synthesized from epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO). The ESBO was reacted with ethylene glycol to obtain MHSBO having high functionality. This study investigated a feasibility to prepare wood adhesive through the reaction of polymeric methylene‐diphenyl‐4,4′‐diisocyanate (pMDI) with MHSBO. Different polyurethane adhesives were prepared with a variety of equivalent mole ratios (eq. mole ratios) of MHSBO to pMDI. The chemical reactions of adhesives were analyzed using ¹H NMR and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and their thermal studies were investigated by DSC and TGA. The MHSBO/pMDI resins (3 : 1 and 2 : 1 eq. mole ratios) showed endothermic peaks, whereas the MHSBO/pMDI resins (1 : 2 and 1 : 3 eq. mole ratios) showed exothermic peaks. The best adhesion strength was found when plywood was bonded with the adhesive of a eq. mole ratio of 2 : 1 (MHSBO : pMDI). These results indicated that the bond strength was not related to the reactivity obtained from the FTIR spectra. But it was explained that the adhesion strength increased as the residual  NCO groups in the adhesive reacted with the hydroxy groups of wood during the manufacturing of plywood. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Characterisation of the mixture product of ether‐soluble fraction of bio‐oil (ES) and bio‐diesel

A method of upgrading the properties of bio‐oil with bio‐diesel has been taken in this article. Firstly, the unpopular pyrolytic lignin fraction is extracted from bio‐oil using ether, the rest ether‐soluble fraction of bio‐oil, named ES is mixed with bio‐diesel according to emulsification. The optimal conditions for obtaining a stable ES/bio‐diesel mixture are with octanol surfactant dosage of 3% by volume; initial ES to bio‐diesel ratio of 4:6 by volume; stirring intensity of 1200 rpm; mixing time of 15 min and mixing temperature at 30°C. Additionally, selected fuel properties such as viscosity, water content and acid number are measured for characterising the ES/bio‐diesel mixture. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has been used to further evaluate the thermal properties. Data from the TGA and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses confirm the presence or absence of certain group of chemical compounds in the mixture. Proton and carbon atoms assignments are further confirmed by ¹H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and ¹³C NMR analysis, respectively. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Biocomposites composed of epoxidized soybean oil cured with terpene‐based acid anhydride and cellulose fibers

Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) was cured with a terpene‐based acid anhydride (TPAn) at 150°C, and the thermal and mechanical properties of the cured product were compared with ESO cured with hexahydrophthalic anhydride (HPAn), maleinated linseed oil (LOAn), or thermally latent cationic polymerization catalyst (CPI). The ESO‐TPAn showed a higher glass transition temperature (67.2°C) measured by dynamic mechanical analysis than ESO‐HPAn (59.0°C), ESO‐LOAn (?41.0°C), and ESO‐CPI (10.0°C). The storage modulus at 20°C of ESO‐TPAn was higher than those of ESO‐LOAn and ESO‐CPI. Also, ESO‐TPAn showed higher tensile strength and modulus than the other cured ESOs. Regarding the biodegradability measured by biochemical oxygen demand in an activated sludge, ESO‐TPAn possessed some biodegradability, which was lower than that of ESO‐LOAn. Next, biocomposites composed of ESO‐TPAn and regenerated cellulose (lyocell) fabric were prepared by compression molding method. The tensile strength of ESO‐TPAn/lyocell composites increased with increasing fiber content. The tensile strength and modulus of ESO‐TPAn/lyocell composite with fiber content 75 wt % were 65 MPa and 2.3 GPa, which were three times higher than those of ESO‐TPAn. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Research progress on bio‐based thermosetting resins

Compared with the rapid progress on bio‐based thermoplastics, research on bio‐based thermosetting resins should have attracted much more attention, considering that they will have a bright future. In this paper, the current research progress on bio‐based thermosetting resins is reviewed. We pay special attention to the synthesis and investigation of properties of epoxies and unsaturated polyesters derived from renewable plant oil, cardanol, rosin acid, lignin, glycerol, gallic acid, furan, isosorbide, itaconic acid, etc. This mini review gives an overall perspective for bio‐based thermosets.© 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Physical properties of water‐blown rigid polyurethane foams containing epoxidized soybean oil in different isocyanate indices

To explore the potential of isocyanate usage reduction, water‐blown rigid polyurethane foams were made by replacing 0, 20, and 50% of Voranoll® 490 in the B‐side of the foam formulation by epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) with an isocyanate index ranging from 50 to 110. The compressive strength, density, and thermal conductivity of foams were measured. The foam surface temperature was monitored before and throughout the foaming reaction as an indirect indication of the foaming temperature. Increasing ESBO replacement and/or decreasing isocyanate index decreased the foam's compressive strength. The density of the foam decreased while decreasing the isocyanate index to 60. Further decrease in isocyanate index resulted in foam shrinkage causing a sharp increase in the foam density. The thermal conductivity of foams increased while decreasing the isocyanate index and increasing the ESBO replacement. Mathematical models for predicting rigid polyurethane foam density, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity were established and validated. Similar to compressive strength, the foaming temperature decreased while decreasing the isocyanate index and increasing the ESBO replacement. Because of the lower reactivity of ESBO with isocyanate, the rate of foaming temperature decrease with decreasing isocyanate index was in the order of 0% > 20% > 50% ESBO replacement. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Palm‐based bio‐composites hybridized with kaolinite

This study described the mechanical and thermal properties of hybrid bio‐composites from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers and kaolinite. The polyurethane (PU) used as matrix is formed by reacting palm kernel oil (PKO)‐based polyester with crude isocyanate. The blending ratio of PU to EFB fibers was fixed at 35 : 65 and kaolinite was added at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% (by weight). The occurrence of chemical interactions between the hydroxyl terminals in both fillers and the PU system was determined via FTIR spectroscopy. Hybrid bio‐composites showed improved stiffness, strength, and better water resistance with the addition of kaolinite to an extent. At 15% of kaolinite loading, maximum flexural and impact strengths were observed. The interaction between kaolinite with PU matrix and EFB fibers enhanced the mechanical properties of the bio‐composites, which was justified from the FTIR spectrum. However, over‐packing of kaolinite was observed at 20% kaolinite loading, which ruptured the cellular walls and degraded strength of the bio‐composites. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

A novel bio‐based phthalonitrile resin derived from catechin: synthesis and comparison of curing behavior with petroleum‐based counterpart

The development of bio‐based thermosetting resins with good thermal stability can potentially afford sustainable polymers as replacements for petroleum‐based polymers. We report a practical route to a novel catechin‐based phthalonitrile resin precursor (CA‐Ph), which contains free phenolic hydroxyl groups that result in ‘self‐curing’ at elevated temperatures to afford a thermostable polymer. Comparison of the performance of this CA‐Ph resin with that of a conventional petroleum‐based bisphenol A phthalonitrile resin (BPA‐Ph; containing 5 wt% of the curing agent 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone) revealed that CA‐Ph exhibits a lower melting point and curing temperature. Cured CA‐Ph resin retains 95% of its weight at 520 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere, which compares favorably with results obtained for BPA‐Ph resin that retains 95% of its weight at a lower temperature of 484 °C. Kinetic results indicated that the curing reactions of both CA‐Ph and BPA‐Ph systems follow an autocatalytic mechanism. These results suggest that catechin is a useful bio‐based feedstock for the preparation of self‐curing and thermally stable phthalonitrile resins for advanced technological applications. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and properties of a novel bio‐based benzoxazine resin with excellent low‐temperature curing ability

A novel bio‐based benzoxazine resin (diphenolic acid/furfurylamine benzoxazine resin, PDPA‐F‐Boz) was prepared by using bio‐based diphenolic acid, furfurylamine and paraformaldehyde as raw materials. The structure of DPA‐F‐Boz monomer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR, and then its curing reaction and the thermal stability of the cured PDPA‐F‐Boz were analyzed. Compared with the traditional fossil‐based benzoxazine (bisphenol A/aniline benzoxazine, BPA‐A‐Boz) and the bio‐based benzoxazine (diphenolic acid/aniline benzoxazine, DPA‐A‐Boz), DPA‐F‐Boz monomer showed the lowest curing temperature, and PDPA‐F‐Boz had the highest residual char ratio at 800 °C and the lowest degradation rate at the peak temperature. Meanwhile, the total heat release, peak heat release rate and heat release capacity of PDPA‐F‐Boz were much lower than those of PBPA‐A‐Boz and PDPA‐A‐Boz. Thus, PDPA‐F‐Boz showed excellent low‐temperature curing ability and thermal stability. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry