Premium
Replacement of styrene with acrylated epoxidized soybean oil in an unsaturated polyester resin from propylene glycol, isophthalic acid, and maleic anhydride
Author(s) -
Wu Yili,
Li Kaichang
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.43052
Subject(s) - epoxidized soybean oil , materials science , styrene , maleic anhydride , composite material , isophthalic acid , flexural strength , curing (chemistry) , polymer chemistry , polyester , polymer , chemistry , copolymer , organic chemistry , terephthalic acid , raw material
Commercial unsaturated polyester (UPE) resins typically contain a high amount of volatile toxic styrene. A non‐volatile acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) was found to be an excellent replacement of styrene in a commercially available UPE resin [designated as Styrene‐(PG‐IPA‐MA)] that is derived from propylene glycol (PG), isophthalic acid (IPA), and maleic anhydride (MA) in terms of the mechanical properties of the resulting kenaf fiber‐reinforced composites. The AESO‐(PG‐IPA‐MA) resins had low viscosity and long pot life below 70°C for a typical fiber‐reinforced composite application. AESO and PG‐IPA‐MA were not able to form a strong polymer matrix individually for fiber‐reinforced composites. However, a combination of AESO and PG‐IPA‐MA saw strong synergistic effects between them. The flexural, tensile, and water absorption properties of kenaf fiber‐reinforced composites made from AESO‐(PG‐IPA‐MA) resins were comparable with or even superior to those from the Styrene‐(PG‐IPA‐MA) resin. The AESO/(PG‐IPA‐MA) weight ratio was investigated for maximizing the mechanical properties of the kenaf fiber‐reinforced composites. The curing mechanism of the AESO‐(PG‐IPA‐MA) resins is discussed in detail. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133 , 43052.