Synthesis of absorbent polymer films made from fatty acid methyl esters,glycerol, and glutaric acid: Thermal,mechanical, and porosity analyses

In previous studies, monoglycerides (MGs) were incorporated into the matrix of poly(glutaric acid–glycerol) films to investigate their effect on the thermal, mechanical, and solvent absorption properties of the resultant films. In this study, the same properties were monitored when fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) were added to the polymer film formulation. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that, while the decomposition profile of the FAME and MG-infused films were different, the final decomposition temperatures were similar for both film types at approximately 400 °C. Degree of branching (DB%) was calculated from nuclear magnetic resonance data and was used to examine the effect of DB% on the mechanical and absorption properties of the films. Experimental results did not show any correlation with DB% and any of the physical, chemical, mechanical, or thermal properties studied. Relative to the poly(glycerol–glutaric acid) control, the incorporation of MG into the polymer matrix resulted in improved % absorption but decreased the mechanical property values. Conversely, adding FAME into the matrix improved the mechanical property values; however, there was no significant change in the % absorption values relative to the control. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47822.