Soybean oil based biomonomer content copolymer obtainment and characterization

As an alternative to fossil resources, bio-based polymers are important for environmental sustainability. Soybean oil is one of the natural oils widely studied in research and used in industrial applications. They have a high potential to replace traditional petroleum-based materials due to their abundance, low cost, low toxicity and, inexhaustible resources. In this study, a new biobased (SBM) was synthesized from triglycerides of soybean oil using a one-step transesterification method. The chemical structure was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy. The number of double bonds in the structure was measured by iodine number analysis. The monomer molecular weight was determined as 392 g/mol by Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS). Homopolymerization of the synthesized bio-based monomer by free radical addition polymerization method and copolymerization with petroleum based monomers styrene (S) and butyl acrylate (BA) were carried out. The chemical structure of the obtained homopolymers and copolymers was determined by FT-IR and NMR analyses. It has been found that their molecular weight varies between 50000-60000 g/mol. Glass transition temperatures were measured as 41,9 °C for homopolymer, 45,9 ºC for SBM-butyl acrylate copolymer, and 83,8 ºC for SBM-styrene copolymer, respectively. It has been determined that the synthesized monomers are sustainable bio- based monomers with polymerizable thermoplastic properties comparable to petroleum based monomers.