Rapid Soybean Oil Copolymers Synthesis by Microwave-Assisted Cationic Polymerization

Soybean oil is one of the most promising renewable raw materials for polymers. Cationic copolymerization with a variety of olefinic monomers gives interesting materials but the curing process is tedious and high temperatures and long reaction times are needed. We studied the cationic homopolymerization of soybean oil and its copolymerization with styrene and divinylbenzene under microwave irradiation using boron trifluoride etherate as initiator and the comparison with conventional heating showed a great enhancement in reaction rates.