Epoxy resins are among the most important building blocks for fabrication of thermosets for many different applications thanks to their superior thermo-mechanical properties and chemical resistance. The recent concerns on the environmental problems and the progressive depletion of petroleum feedstocks have drawn the research interest in finding biobased alternatives. Many curing techniques can be used to obtain the final crosslinked thermoset networks. The UV-curing technology can be considered the most environmentally friendly because of the absence of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and mild curing conditions. This review provides an overview of the state of the art of bio-based cationic UV-curable epoxy resins. Particular focus has been given to the sources of the bio-based epoxy monomers and the applications of the obtained products.
Beyond the need to find a non-toxic alternative to DiGlycidyl Ether of Bisphenol-A (DGEBA), the serious subject of non-epichlorohydrin epoxy resins production remains a crucial challenge that must be solved for the next epoxy resin generations.
Light processable hydrogels were successfully fabricated by utilizing maize starch as raw material. To render light processability, starch was gelatinized and methacrylated by simple reaction with methacrylic anhydride. The methacrylated starch was then evaluated for its photocuring reactivity and 3D printability by digital light processing (DLP). Hydrogels with good mechanical properties and biocompatibility were obtained by direct curing from aqueous solution containing lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP) as photo-initiator. The properties of the hydrogels were tunable by simply changing the concentration of starch in water. Photo-rheology showed that the formulations with 10 or 15 wt% starch started curing immediately and reached G’ plateau after only 60 s, while it took 90 s for the 5 wt% formulation. The properties of the photocured hydrogels were further characterized by rheology, compressive tests, and swelling experiments. Increasing the starch content from 10 to 15 wt% increased the compressive stiffness from 13 to 20 kPa. This covers the stiffness of different body tissues giving promise for the use of the hydrogels in tissue engineering applications. Good cell viability with human fibroblast cells was confirmed for all three starch hydrogel formulations indicating no negative effects from the methacrylation or photo-crosslinking reaction. Finally, the light processability of methacrylated starch by digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing directly from aqueous solution was successfully demonstrated. Altogether the results are promising for future application of the hydrogels in tissue engineering and as cell carriers
The radical‐induced cationic frontal photopolymerization (RICFP) of fully biobased epoxy composites is successfully demonstrated. This curing strategy considerably reduces the curing time and improves the efficiency of the composite fabrication. Two different natural fiber fabrics made of cellulose and flax fibers are embedded in two epoxy matrices, one derived from vanillin (diglycidylether of vanillyl alcohol‐DGEVA) and the other from petroleum (3,4‐epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3,4‐epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate‐CE). After RICFP the composites are characterized by means of dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and tensile tests. The mechanical properties improved with increasing fiber content, confirming a strong adhesion between the matrix and the reinforcing fiber fabrics, which is further evidenced by scanning electron microscopy analyses of the fracture surfaces. Furthermore, these fully bio‐based composites possess comparable or even higher mechanical strength compared with the corresponding epoxy composites fabricated with conventional CE resin. A promising facile route to high‐performing natural fiber‐biobased epoxy resin composites is presented.
Bio‐based epoxy resins are attracting widespread interest in the field of polymer thermosets as environmentally friendly building block. In the present study, the feasibility of applying UV‐curable epoxidized vegetable oils (EVOs) as anti‐corrosion coating is investigated. Rheological characterization of EVOs is carried out, and their viscosity‐shear relationship is evaluated. The cationic UV‐curing of EVOs successfully gives rise to crosslinked materials with a wide range of thermo‐mechanical properties, evaluated by differential scanning calorimetric analysis and dynamic thermal mechanical analysis. A high epoxy‐group conversion, ranging from 93% to 99%, is always obtained. The thermal stability and surface properties of the bio‐based coatings, such as, pencil hardness, adhesion, solvent resistance, and contact angle, are analyzed. Moreover, the corrosion protection effectiveness of the coatings is characterized by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. In addition, field emission scanning electron microscopy is used to assess the samples morphology after corrosion tests.
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