The search for sustainable chemistry has led to develop synthetic routes to produce polymeric materials from renewable resources. Particular attention has been paid to biomass as a source of biomaterials. Amongst many biomass derived materials, it is important to highlight the potential use of vegetable oils. The presence of chemical unsaturations allows their polymerization into solid materials, either thermoplastic or thermosets. These oil-based thermosetting resins have been recently used to make composite materials, employing nanofillers for improving their thermal and mechanical properties. Based on the mentioned possibilities, the purpose of this project is to develop biopolymers produced through the cationic copolymerization of tung oil using reactive monomers, such as styrene and limonene. Tung oil-based composites were obtained by adding nano cellulose as filler into these thermosets. The properties of these new composite were studied as a function of the proportion and type of monomer as well as the filler content.

Novel bio-based composite materials

245th National Meeting (2013)

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