Ying Xia¹, Rafael L. Quirino², Richard C. Larock^3,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 3-27, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634103

Abstract Vegetable oils are promising renewable resources for polymers, due to their low cost, ready availability, and versatile applications. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to vegetable oil-based polymeric materials due to both economic and environmental concerns. This review focuses on the latest developments in vegetable oil-based thermosets prepared by a variety of polymerization methods. The thermosets obtained exhibit a wide range of thermomechanical properties from soft and fl exible rubbers to rigid and hard plastics. Some of the thermosets have properties comparable to petroleum-based analogs and show promise as replacements, providing possible solutions to environmental and energy concerns. More >

Rodolfo J. González-Paz, Gerard Lligadas^*, Juan C. Ronda, Marina Galià, Virginia Cádiz

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 187-194, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634114

Abstract A thiol-reactive linear polyurethane was synthesized from a vinyl-sulphide-containing diol and a commercial diisocyanate. The diol was obtained from 10-undecynol, an alkyne-derivatized fatty compound, using hydrothiolation as a key reaction step. 10-Undecynol was prepared by reduction of 10-undecinoic acid methyl ester, which was prepared by successive bromation, dehydrobromination of the corresponding alkenic fatty acid. Solution and surface polymer modifi cation with a fl uorescent thiol was successful. More >

Talita M. Lacerda^1,2,*, Alessandro Gandini^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 2-12, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634127

Abstract The inevitable future scarcity of fossil resources, coupled with sustainability considerations, have stimulated the use of renewable resources for material synthesis, and highly effi cient polymerization methods that meet the requirements of green chemistry have drawn attention to fatty acid-based polymers. Additionally, the polymerization of furan monomers and the exploitation of some of the chemical peculiarities of the furan heterocycle have generated a wide diversity of macromolecular materials. A novel approach is reviewed here, calling upon the combined use of both vegetable oils and their derivatives together with furans, as a promising technique to obtain new materials from two renewable… More >

Verónica L. Mucci¹, M. E. Victoria Hormaiztegui², Mirta I. Aranguren^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.6, pp. 579-601, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.09455

Abstract The increasing pressure from consumers and policy makers to reduce the use of synthetic polymers, whose production contributes to the depletion of non-renewable resources and are usually non- biodegradable, has prompted the efforts to find suitable bio-based sources for the production of polymers. Vegetable oils have been a frequently spotted in this search because they are versatile, highly available and a low cost liquid biosource, which can be used in the synthesis of a wide plethora of different polymers and reactive monomers. Following the same idea of reducing the environmental stress, the traditional polyurethanes that are soluble in organic solvents… More >

Hongze Gang^1,2, Qiqi Zhang¹, Wei Wang¹, Bangxin Cai¹, Jinfeng Liu^1,2, Shizhong Yang^1,2, Bozhong Mu^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.4, pp. 417-429, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.09201

Abstract Waste cooking oils and non-edible vegetable oils are abundant and renewable resources for bio-based materials which have showed great potential applications in many industries. In this study, five fatty acids commonly found in non-edible vegetable oils, including palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, ricinoleic acid, and their mixtures, were used to produce bio-based zwitterionic surfactants through a facile and high-yield chemical modification. These surfactants demonstrated excellent surface/interfacial properties with the minimum surface tensions ranging from 28.4 mN/m to 32.8 mN/m in aqueous solutions. The interfacial tensions between crude oil and surfactant solutions were remarkably reduced to lower values… More >

Bernal Sibaja^1,2,3, Camila Pereira Matheus^1,2, Ricardo Ballestero Mendez^1,2,Ramsis Farag^1,2,4, J. R. Vega-Baudrit³, Maria L. Auad^*,1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.3-4, pp. 241-250, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634114

Abstract The thermo-mechanical properties and linear fracture mechanics of acrylated soybean oil and the triglycidylated ether of α-resorcylic acid interpenetrated networks as a function of their weight composition are the focus of Part 2 of this article. Thermo-mechanical characterization showed that the obtained materials behave as thermoset amorphous polymers, and that both the modulus and glass transition are extremely dependent on the epoxy/acrylate weight ratio. Modulus values ranged from 0.7 to 3.3 GPa at 30 °C, and glass transition temperatures ranged from around 58 °C to approx. 130 °C. No synergistic effect on these two properties was observed. Interpenetrating networks containing… More >

Bernal Sibaja^1,2,3, Camila Pereira Matheus^1,2, Ricardo Ballestero Mendez^1,2, J. R. Vega-Baudrit³, Maria L. Auad^*,1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.3-4, pp. 231-240, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634113

Abstract Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) using an epoxy phase synthesized from chemically modified α-resorcylic acid, and an acrylate phase employing acrylated soybean oil are the main focus of this study. Part 1 details the epoxidation of α-resorcylic acid with epichlorohydrin in alkaline medium, as well as the study of the polymerization and network formation of the generated epoxy-acrylate interpenetrated systems. The epoxy content of the epoxidized α-resorcylic acid was measured by means of a titration using HBr in acetic acid solution, and the functionalization was studied by FTIR. From the obtained results, mainly calorimetry and gel time determination, it was clear… More >

Karina Cruz-Aldaco¹, Erika Flores-Loyola², Cristóbal Noé Aguilar-González¹, Nuria Burgos³, Alfonso Jiménez^3*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 178-184, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634107

Abstract The use of vegetable oils to replace fossil feedstock has become an area of opportunity and a priority for study in the field of polymer science. Vegetable oils are considered as renewable resources with high potential, low cost and full availability. The aim of this study is the synthesis of biobased polyols from cottonseed oil (Gossypium barbadanse) and corn oil (Zea mays) as feedstock. Their synthesis was successfully performed, as can be concluded from the determination of their hydroxyl index as well as the structural and thermal characterization carried out in this work. Polyurethanes from biobased polyols were synthesized with… More >