Non Edible Oil-Based Epoxy Resins from Jatropha Oil and Their Shape Memory Behaviors.

Lu Lu Taung Mai,Min Min Aung,Sarah Anis Muhamad Saidi,Adila Mohamad Jaafar,Paik San H’Ng,Marwah Rayung

doi:10.3390/polym13132177

Abstract

The use of bio-based polymers in place of conventional polymers gives positives effects in the sense of reduction of environmental impacts and the offsetting of petroleum consumption. As such, in this study, jatropha oil was used to prepare epoxidized jatropha oil (EJO) by the epoxidation method. The EJO was used to prepare a shape memory polymer (SMP) by mixing it with the curing agent 4-methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHPA) and a tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB) catalyst. The resulting bio-based polymer is slightly transparent and brown in color. It has soft and flexible properties resulting from the aliphatic chain in jatropha oil. The functionality of SMP was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. The thermal behavior of the SMP was measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and it showed that the samples were thermally stable up to 150 °C. Moreover, the glass transition temperature characteristic was obtained using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The shape memory recovery behavior was investigated. Overall, EJO/MHPA was prepared by a relatively simple method and showed good shape recovery properties.

Highlights

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are a class of emerging smart materials that can change shape and “remember” their original shape
The produced epoxidized jatropha oil (EJO) in this study was used as the epoxide monomers to prepare EJO/methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHPA) polymers
We presented the preparation and characterization of bio-based epoxy material from jatropha oil for use in a shape memory polymer application

Summary

Introduction

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are a class of emerging smart materials that can change shape and “remember” their original shape. They have a sensitive response to external stimuli such as pH, humidity, light, electricity, temperature, and so on [1,2,3]. The temporary shape is set by deformation above a certain transition temperature [4]. They typically rely on vitrification, crystallization, or some other physical interaction. When the polymers are reheated above the transition temperature, the oriented polymer chains are released, resulting in recovery of the permanent shape. Various types of polymers have been found to have shape memory effects including polyurethane [12,13], trans-polyisoprene [14], styrene-butadiene copolymer [15], and epoxy material [16]

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Conclusion