Open Access

REVIEW

Bio-based Thermosetting Polymers from Vegetable Oils

Ying Xia¹, Rafael L. Quirino², Richard C. Larock^3,*

1 Iowa State University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering;
2 Georgia Southern University, Chemistry Department;
3 Iowa State University, Chemistry Department

* Corresponding Author:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2013, 1(1), 3-27. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2012.634103

Received 25 September 2012; Accepted 18 October 2012;

Abstract

Vegetable oils are promising renewable resources for polymers, due to their low cost, ready availability, and versatile applications. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to vegetable oil-based polymeric materials due to both economic and environmental concerns. This review focuses on the latest developments in vegetable oil-based thermosets prepared by a variety of polymerization methods. The thermosets obtained exhibit a wide range of thermomechanical properties from soft and fl exible rubbers to rigid and hard plastics. Some of the thermosets have properties comparable to petroleum-based analogs and show promise as replacements, providing possible solutions to environmental and energy concerns.

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