Additives based on polymers of alkyl acrylate used in lubricant composition improve the viscometric and rheological properties of the lubricant and provide fuel economy. However, the recent demand for eco-friendly technology prompted us to develop biodegradable additives for the lubricant formulation. Thus, in anticipation of getting an ideal blend of performance as well as eco-friendly chemistry, the present investigation comprising the incorporation of an α-pinene (α-p) moiety into the acrylate (dodecyl acrylate, DDA, and isodecyl acrylate, IDA) skeleton through copolymerization was undertaken. The analysis of different properties of the polymers indicates that copolymers of α-pinene with DDA have more thermal stability and better pour point and viscosity index (VI) values than the copolymers of α-pinene with IDA. However, the study of the biodegradability test indicates that the copolymers of α-pinene with IDA are better than the other and they show significant biodegradability against the fungal pathogen, Alterneria alernata. In both of the cases, homopolymers are found to be less efficient in performance than the copolymers.' EXPERIMENTAL SECTION Materials. Toluene (GC 99.5 %), hydroquinone (GC 99 %), and H 2 SO 4 were purchased from Merck Specialties Pvt., Ltd.

In an anticipation to produce biodegradable additives with multifunctional performance for a cost-effective lubricant composition, copolymers are synthesized by incorporating rice bran oil, peanut oil, b-pinene in the backbone of isodecyl acrylate through microwave irradiation method using AIBN (azobisisobutyronitrile) as radical initiator. The prepared polymers are characterized by spectral techniques (IR, NMR) and SEC-GPC analysis, thermal stability was determined by thermogravimetric analysis. Performance of the polymers as antiwear (AW), pour point depressant (PPD), viscosity modifier/viscosity index improver (VII) in different mineral base oils (SN1 and SN2) were done by standard ASTM methods. Biodegradability test of the polymers was carried out by disk diffusion (DD) and soil burial test methods. The copolymers of rice bran oil showed better viscosity index values and AW property, whereas the copolymers of peanut oil found to be most effective as PPD. Copolymers with higher concentration of green units showed better performance as viscosity modifier, pour point depressant and AW performance along with excellent biodegradability. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:810-815, 2018.

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The application of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) in lubricant industry has attracted considerable interest due to their much enhanced properties compared to neat polymers. In this study, magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized. Then PNCs were prepared by reinforcing these NPs in the homopolymer of dodecyl acrylate in different percentages. The characterization of the prepared NPs and PNCs was done by different analytical techniques. Thermal stability is determined through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Performance evaluation of the PNCs as viscosity index improver, pour point depressant and antiwear additive was carried out by blending them with a mineral base stock at different percentage ratios. Standard ASTM methods are followed to carry out the evaluations. It is found that with increasing the percentage of nanocomposites in the base stock, the overall performance of the furnished lubricant is enhanced.

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