Synthesis and characterization of polymer composites from hemp by-products

Due to increasing environmental and economic problems all over the world in recent years, people are turning to sustainable and more accessible products. Sustainable alternatives draw attention to the petroleum-based polymers that we encounter in every field, whose wastes remain undegraded in nature for years and cause great harm to the environment. Plants with various and rich contents and structures have been used in different fields since ancient times. Plants are used in industry as raw materials or auxiliary materials in areas such as cosmetics, medicine, medicine, paper, fabric, polymer. From this point of view, biodegradable polymer film synthesis from hemp seed oil and linseed oil, which has not been used in polymer production until now, was chosen as the subject of the study. For the production of polymers, in the first stage, flax and hemp seed oils were epoxidized with formic acid and hydrogen peroxide, then different amounts of polyethylene glycol were added and hydroxylation of the oils was provided under the catalysis of Fe(NO3)3.9H2O. In the last step, biodegradable polyurethane films were obtained as a result of the reaction of TDI and copolymers and dried in a vacuum oven. The obtained polymer films were characterized using methods such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-Ray Diffraction Method (XRD) and contact angle measurement. In addition to these, swelling amounts in water and biodegradation times in phosphate buffer saline solution were determined at certain time intervals.In conclusion; According to the biodegradation test applied to the polymer films, it was determined that the polymers degraded at least 11.42% and at most 65.47% in a week, and at the end of two weeks at least 29.34% and at most 89.34%. In addition, in the swelling analysis, it was determined that the excess cross-links in the polymer structure reduced the swelling rate. In the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) analysis, peaks belonging to the epoxide group, C-O-C peaks of polyethylene glycol and peaks of urethane bonds were observed. In Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), it was determined that polymer films undergo three or four steps of degradation. It was observed that the polymer films synthesized in the Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis reached higher temperatures than the polyurethane films synthesized using other vegetable oils found as a result of the literature review. As a result of the analyzes and tests, it has been determined that soft, flexible, biodegradable, hemp seed oil and linseed oil-based polyurethane films can be synthesized and used as an alternative in the industry.