Development and application of triglyceride-based polymers and composites

Triglyceride oils derived from plants have been used to synthesize several different monomers for use in structural applications. These monomers have been found to form polymers with a wide range of physical properties. They exhibit tensile moduli in the 1-2 GPa range and glass transition temperatur es in the range 70-120 degreesC, depending on the particular monomer and th e resin composition. Composite materials were manufactured utilizing these resins and produced a variety of durable and strong materials. At low glass fiber content (35 wt %), composites produced from acrylated epoxidized soy bean oil by resin transfer molding displayed a tensile modulus of 5.2 GPa, a flexural modulus of 9 GPa, a tensile strength of 129 MPa, and flexural st rength of 206 MPa. At higher fiber contents (50 wt %) composites produced f rom acrylated epoxidized soybean oil displayed tensile and compression modu li of 24.8 G-Pa each, and tensile and compressive strengths of 463.2 and 30 2.6 MPa, respectively. In addition to glass fibers, natural fibers such as flax and hemp were used. Hemp composites of 20% fiber content displayed a t ensile strength of 35 MPa and a tensile modulus of 4.4 GPa. The flexural mo dulus was similar to2.6 GPa and the flexural strength was in the range 35.7 -51.3 MPa, depending on the test conditions. The flax composite materials h ad tensile and flexural strengths in the ranges 20-30 and 45-65 MPa, respec tively. The properties exhibited by both the natural- and synthetic fiber-r einforced composites can be combined through the production of "hybrid" com posites. These materials combine the low cost of natural fibers with the hi gh performance of synthetic fibers. Their properties lie between those disp layed by the all-glass and all-natural composites. Characterization of the polymer properties also presents opportunities for improvement through gene tic engineering technology. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.