New insights into the properties of alkali-degradable thermosets based on epoxidized soy oil and plant-derived dicarboxylic acids

Abstract

Fully green epoxy thermosets were synthesized by a catalyst-free curing process from epoxidized soy oil (ESO) and a series of naturally occurring dicarboxylic acids (DCAs). The effect of increasing the DCAs chain-length on the physicochemical properties of the obtained epoxy polymers is reported. A suite of techniques, including solvent extraction, thermal analysis, rheological and tensile tests, and degradability in alkaline and compost conditions, was used to investigate the behavior of these sustainable epoxy networks. The variation of DCAs chain-length provided tunability over mechanical and thermal properties. The thermosets could be wholly dissolved in alkaline aqueous solutions with minimal environmental impact. Overall, the as-prepared epoxy networks show excellent thermal and mechanical performance and have a great potential to be utilized as fully biobased coatings.