Ks. Alva et al., ENZYMATIC POLYMERIZATION OF PHENOLIC BIOMONOMERS DERIVED FROM CASHEW NUT SHELL LIQUID, Journal of macromolecular science. Pure and applied chemistry, A34(4), 1997, pp. 665-674
Enzymatic polymerization of alkyl phenols derived from a renewable res
ource, viz., cashew nut shell, has been carried out in a dioxane-water
mixture. The reaction and reaction products have been characterized b
y a number of spectroscopic, microscopic, and thermometric methods. Th
ese monomers have also been copolymerized with various substituted phe
nols. The homopolymers are soluble in organic solvents while the copol
ymers are crosslinked, with negligible solubility. Enzymatic polymeriz
ation in a dioxane-water solvent mixture results in spherical particle
s in the case of homopolymerization while structures without distincti
ve morphologies are obtained in the case of copolymerization. The effe
cts of dioxane-water composition and solution pH on the polymerization
reaction have also been explored.