One-Step Synthesis of Novel Renewable Vegetable Oil-Based Acrylate Prepolymers and Their Application in UV-Curable Coatings

Abstract

With the rapid development of social economy, problems such as volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution and the excessive consumption of global petroleum resources have become increasingly prominent. People are beginning to realize that these problems not only affect the ecological environment, but also hinder the development of the organic polymer material industry based on raw fossil materials. Therefore, the modification and application of bio-based materials are of theoretical and practical significance. In this study, a series of vegetable oil-based acrylate prepolymers were synthesized by one-step acrylation using palm oil, olive oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, canola oil, and grapeseed oil as raw materials, and the effect of different double bond contents on the product structure and grafting rate was investigated. Furthermore, the as-prepared vegetable oil-based acrylate prepolymers, polyurethane acrylate (PUA-2665), trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA), and photoinitiator (PI-1173) were mixed thoroughly to prepare ultraviolet (UV)-curable films. The effect of different grafting numbers on the properties of these films was investigated. The results showed that as the degree of unsaturation increased, the acrylate grafting number and the cross-linking density increased, although the acrylation (grafting reaction) rate decreased. The reason was mainly because increasing the double bond content could accelerate the reaction rate, while the grafted acrylic groups had a steric hindrance effect to prevent the adjacent double bonds from participating in the reaction. Furthermore, the increase in grafting number brought about the increase in the structural functionality of prepolymers and the cross-linking density of cured films, which led to the enhancement in the thermal (glass transition temperature) and mechanical (tensile strength, Young’s modulus) properties of the cured films.

The Prospering of Macromolecular Materials Based on Plant Oils within the Blooming Field of Polymers from Renewable Resources

“…The acrylation of a palm oil derivative was also reported, which resulted in a branched polymer bearing biodegradable functional groups [ 43 ]. A one-step acrylation procedure was applied to palm, olive, peanut, rapeseed, corn, canola, and grapeseed oils, and the products were separately mixed with polyurethane acrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, and a photoinitiator to prepare ultraviolet-curable films [ 44 ]. Epoxidation is another suitable preliminary reaction for the insertion of acrylic moieties into the triglyceride backbone, which was the route adopted to prepare acrylated linseed oil and, in a further step, aza-Michael polymers using priamine 1071, amine-terminated poly(propyleneoxide)s (jeffamines), and meta-xylylenediamine as crosslinkers [ 45 ].…”

The Prospering of Macromolecular Materials Based on Plant Oils within the Blooming Field of Polymers from Renewable Resources

“…Despite the viability of directly polymerizing crude plant oils, a preliminary treatment for converting triglycerides into more reactive monomers is often convenient [5]. More recent contributions include a one-step acrylation procedure applied to palm oil, olive oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, canola oil, and grapeseed oil, with the products separately mixed with polyurethane acrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, and a photoinitiator to prepare ultraviolet-curable films [22]. Epoxidation is another suitable preliminary reaction for the insertion of acrylic moieties into the triglyceride backbone, which was the route adopted to prepare acrylated linseed oil and, in a further step, aza-Michael polymers using priamine 1071, amine-terminated poly(propyleneoxide)s (jeffamines) and meta-xylylenediamine as crosslinkers [23].…”

Fire-Safe Polymer Composites: Flame-Retardant Effect of Nanofillers

“…Since polymer materials are used for various applications, the incorporation of functional additives to polymer materials has attracted significant research attention [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. In particular, the development of flame-retardant polymer materials has attracted attention toward managing the disadvantages of heat-sensitive polymers [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. The poisonous gases released due to combustion, which is the secondary damage caused by fire, increase the harm done to humans; therefore, developing flame retardants and flame-resistant polymer materials is still crucial [ 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”