From Natural Oils to Epoxy Resins: A New Paradigm in Renewable Performance Materials

The direct conversion of natural products to useful engineering materials is desirable from both economic and environmental considerations. We describe the synthesis and properties of 100 % oil-based epoxy resins generated from three epoxidized oils. The catalyst, tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (B(C6F5)(3)) in toluene, allowed for controlled cationic polymerization at a very low concentration. Epoxidized oils (derived from triolein, soybean, and linseed oil) had varying epoxy content, rendering resins of different cross-link density. The polymerization was carried out at room temperature followed by post-curing at elevated temperature to speed up conversion. Epoxy resins were amorphous transparent glasses below glass transitions and hard rubbers above. Despite their high cross-link density, these materials show relatively low T-g's reflecting the aliphatic nature of fatty acids and the presence of plasticizing dangling chains. The structure of the triglyceride starting oils influenced the properties of the resulting materials: the more regular structure of triolein compared to the very heterogeneous structures of soybean and linseed oils seemed to have enhanced some properties of the polymer networks. These epoxy polymers are potentially useful as encapsulating and potting compounds for electronic applications.

Automated summary

Natural products can be directly converted into epoxy resins with different cross-link densities by controlled cationic polymerization. These resins exhibit properties of transparent glasses and hard rubbers, making them potentially useful for encapsulating and potting compounds in electronic applications.