MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE AND BIODEGRADABILITY OF THE FOAMS DERIVED FROM SOYBEAN OIL RESIN

Abstract

Plastic foams based on plant oil resin were prepared via radical copolymerization of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil(AESO) and methyl methylacrylate(MMA).Effects of AESO/MMA ratio and dosages of initiator(BPO) and accelerant(N,N-dimethyl aniline) on compression performance of the plastic foams were carefully studied.It was found that the foam properties depended on the content of MMA and network structure of the cured resin.The foams synthesized with higher MMA content,or cured by higher BPO concentration or lower accelerant concentration exhibited higher compressive resistance.On the whole,the proposed technical route was able to generate foams with high AESO fraction,which helped to control cost and properties of the end-products.The resultant plastic foams possessed compression strength similar to that of conventional unsaturated polyester foams,but higher toughness.Moreover,the AESO/MMA plastic foams were proved to be biodegradable during soil burial.According to the above results,it is known that the present plastic foams made from renewable resources are capable for replacing conventional petrol-based foams in practical applications.