Synthesis and application of triglyceride based polymers

Polymers and polymeric composites derived from petroleum reserves are commonly used in many industries such as automotive, aerospace, and marine. The use of triglyceride oils as a basis for new polymeric systems presents several economic and environmental advantages over petroleum. The goal of this research has been to develop polymers derived from triglyceride oils capable of exhibiting properties similar to conventional vinyl ester and unsaturated polyester polymers.; The basis for the materials synthesized and characterized in this research project is acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO). This monomer is synthesized by a substitution reaction of acrylic acid with epoxidized soybean oil. Three types of catalysts for this reaction were examined to determine their efficiency in promoting the acrylation reaction. A chromium chelate catalyst was found to be the most effective catalyst at promoting acrylation and inhibiting epoxy polymerization.; Polymers produced from a resin composed of AESO and styrene exhibited glass transition temperatures ranging from −11°C (100% AESO) to 58°C (50% AESO). Tensile moduli of these polymers were found to vary from 0.44 ± 0.01 GPa (100% AESO) to 1.63 ± 0.18 GPa (60% AESO). Tensile strengths vary from 6.0 ± 0.6 MPa (100% AESO) to 21.0 ± 2.1 MPa (60% AESO). A malefic acid oligomerization of the AESO monomer was found to increase the glass transition temperature by approximately 40°C and the storage modulus by approximately 60%. Polymers display flexural moduli and strengths in the range of 2.4–2.5 GPa and 75–76 MPa, respectively. Tensile strengths were found to be in the range of 43–45 MPa.; To gain a fundamental understanding of how differences in triglyceride structure affect network formation, computer simulations were used. A vector percolation model was used to relate defects in the networks to the strength of the polymer. It was found that in resins with a high concentration of triglycerides, the dominant factor in determining the strength of the network is the presence of highly functional fatty acids (>1 functionality/fatty acid). At low triglyceride concentrations, the dominating factor affecting the strength of the network is the presence of saturated fatty acids.