Amine-cured ω-epoxy fatty acid triglycerides: Fundamental structure-property relationships

Several triacyl glycerides (2), having terminal epoxy functionalities on aliphatic residues of varying chain length, were allowed to react with either 4,4′-methylenedianiline or phthalic anhydride to give a new group of glassy network polymers with glass transition temperatures (Tgs) of 48-133 °C. Although cured 2 have substantially lower moduli than do conventional epoxy thermosets based on bisphenol A-diglycidyl ether (BADGE), the crosslinked triglycerides adhere strongly to steel and aluminum and are much more ductile and considerably tougher than commercial epoxy systems. In addition to a comparison of thermal and mechanical properties of thermosets based on 2, BADGE and common epoxidized linseed oil, reactivity differences among these epoxy resins are briefly discussed.