Free Radical Polymerization Behavior of the Vinyl Monomers from Plant Oil Triglycerides

Zoriana Demchuk, Oleg Shevchuk, Ihor Tarnavchyk, Vasylyna Kirianchuk, Ananiy Kohut, Stanislav Voronov, Andriy Voronov

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

A one-step method of plant oil direct transesterification was used to synthesize new vinyl monomers from sunflower (SFM), linseed (LSM), soybean (SBM), and olive (OVM) oils. The degree of unsaturation in plant oil fatty acids was used as a criterion to compare the free radical polymerization behavior of new monomers. The number-average molecular weight of plant oil-based homopolymers synthesized in toluene in the presence of AIBN at 75 °C varies at 11 000-25 000 and decreases as follows: poly(OVM) > poly(SFM) > poly(SBM) > poly(LSM), corresponding to increasing degree of unsaturation in the monomers. Rate of polymerization depends noticeably on the degree of unsaturation in monomers. Due to the allylic termination, chain propagation coexists with effective chain transfer during polymerization. The obtained values of CM (ratio of chain transfer and propagation rate constants) depends on monomer structure as follows: CM(LSM) > CM(SBM) > CM(SFM) > CM(OVM). 1H NMR spectroscopy shows that the fraction of the reacting allylic atoms does not vary significantly for the synthesized monomers (7-12%) and is determined entirely by plant oil degree of unsaturation. The glass transition temperature of homopolymers [Tg = 4.2 °C for poly(SFM), Tg = −6 °C for poly(SBM)] from new monomers indicates that varying biobased fragments in copolymers might considerably change the intermolecular interactions of macromolecules and their physicochemical properties.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6974-6980
Number of pages7
JournalACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
Volume4
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 5 2016
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Science Foundation1355466

    Keywords

    • Free radical polymerization
    • Plant oil-based monomers
    • Renewable polymers

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