SusChEM: Sustainable Epoxy Materials From Vegetable Oils and Terpenes

SusChEM：来自植物油和萜烯的可持续环氧材料

• 批准号: 1308617
• 负责人: Chang Ryu
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-01 至 2018-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1308617&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SusChEM; Sustainable; Epoxy; Materials; Vegetable

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This project will develop fundamental knowledge of physical properties for sustainable epoxy materials from renewable resources. In particular, this research is aimed at advancing the knowledge and understanding of how to control the mechanical, viscoelastic and thermal properties of sustainable epoxy materials derived from crosslinked epoxidized vegetable oils and terpenes using onium salt photoinitiators. This research program is built on the premise that epoxidized monomers from renewable resources can serve as sustainable photocurable monomers that are designed to undergo facile and rapid crosslinking via exothermic ring-opening cationic polymerization. Three classes of biosourced substrates -- lipids, terpenes and natural rubbers -- are specifically selected based on the criteria that they are abundantly available at reasonable prices for the epoxidation and photocuring studies. The proposed projects represent a new direction of sustainable epoxy material research to focus the research efforts in tailoring their physical properties via the control of the crosslinking densities and the inclusion of rubbery or glassy segments. Specifically, the following research tasks will be conducted: (1) Mechanical and thermal properties of crosslinked epoxidized vegetable oils (EVOs), (2) Blending EVOs with epoxidized terpenes toward higher crosslink density, and (3) Blending EVOs with partially epoxidized natural rubbers toward lower crosslink density. This epoxy monomer blending and copolymerization strategy will produce new sustainable thermosets with inclusion of rubbery or glassy domains by manipulating the crosslinking and phase separation kinetics using EVOs with terpene- and/or natural rubber-derived epoxidized monomers. It is envisioned that this study will enhance the capability to tailor the physical properties of sustainable epoxy materials that may end up being comparable to, or potentially even better than, petroleum-derived epoxy materials.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:Polymer materials research faces the challenge of relieving our dependence on petroleum-derived monomers and polymers by developing sustainable plastic materials from abundant and economical renewable resources. A spectrum of new biorenewable epoxy monomers will be studied to relieve our dependence on petroleum for use in coatings, adhesives, ink-jet printing and composites. Because the proposed polymerization is inexpensive, rapid, solventless and can be readily carried out under ambient conditions, this technology could easily be transferred to large-scale industrial settings. Our education activities will reach a broad and diverse range of students (K-12, undergraduate and graduate). The graduate and undergraduate students supported by this grant will acquire extensive knowledge of the design, synthesis, properties and application of novel epoxy materials from renewable resources and gain multidisciplinary training to promote academia-industry interactions. These students will also actively participate in the broad dissemination of their knowledge through K-12 outreach activities including web-based programs on science and the environment, open houses, and hands-on demos at local elementary schools and elsewhere. The PIs and students will also participate in the Sustainability Studies Program at Rensselaer.

技术概述：该项目将从可再生资源中开发可持续的环氧材料的物理性能的基础知识。特别是，这项研究的目的是提高人们对如何利用光引发剂控制由交联型环氧化植物油和萜烯衍生的可持续环氧材料的机械、粘弹性和热性能的认识和理解。这项研究计划建立在可再生资源中的环氧化单体可以作为可持续光固化单体的前提下，这些单体可以通过放热开环阳离子聚合进行容易和快速的交联。三类生物来源底物--脂类、萜类和天然橡胶--是根据环氧化和光固化研究中大量可获得且价格合理的标准而特别选择的。建议的项目代表了可持续环氧材料研究的一个新方向，即通过控制交联密度和包含橡胶或玻璃链段来调整其物理性能的研究努力。具体地说，将开展以下研究工作：(1)研究环氧化植物油的力学和热性能；(2)将环氧化植物油与环氧化萜烯共混以获得较高的交联密度；(3)将环氧化植物油与部分环氧化天然橡胶共混以获得较低的交联度。这种环氧单体共混和共聚策略将通过使用ETOS与萜烯和/或天然橡胶衍生的环氧化单体操纵交联和相分离动力学，生成包含橡胶或玻璃区的新型可持续热固性树脂。预计这项研究将增强定制可持续环氧材料的物理性能的能力，这些材料最终可能与石油衍生的环氧材料相媲美，甚至可能更好。非技术摘要：聚合物材料研究面临的挑战是，通过利用丰富和经济的可再生资源开发可持续塑料材料，减轻我们对石油衍生单体和聚合物的依赖。将研究一系列新的可生物可再生环氧单体，以减轻我们在涂料、粘合剂、喷墨打印和复合材料方面对石油的依赖。由于所提出的聚合反应廉价、快速、无溶剂，并且可以在环境条件下容易地进行，因此该技术可以很容易地转移到大规模工业环境中。我们的教育活动将覆盖广泛和多样化的学生(K-12，本科生和研究生)。这笔助学金资助的研究生和本科生将获得广泛的知识，从可再生资源中设计、合成、性能和应用新型环氧材料，并接受多学科培训，以促进学术界和行业的互动。这些学生还将积极参与通过K-12外联活动广泛传播他们的知识，包括基于网络的科学和环境计划、开放参观以及在当地小学和其他地方的动手演示。PI和学生还将参加伦斯勒的可持续发展研究项目。