Biorenewable thermosetting copolymer based on soybean oil and eugenol

A novel biorenewable thermoset based on acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) and methacrylated eugenol (ME) was prepared via free radical polymerization. The chemical compositions of the monomers were investigated using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) technique. The properties of this resin system were investigated using small amplitude oscillatory shear flow rheology, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and compression testing. Soxhlet extraction was also performed on the cured thermoset to determine the percentage of monomers that are incorporated into the crosslink network. In addition, the gelation time of this resin at different curing temperature was also monitored using a rheometer. The Soxhlet extraction data indicated that more than 95% of the monomers were incorporated into the crosslink network. Gelation time study showed that this resin system can become a solid within 10 min. This resin system possesses high strength and modulus, and it is thermally stable up to 300 °C. This high biorenewable content resin system possesses good mechanical properties, high thermal stability, and fast curing speed, making it a suitable matrix resin for the pultrusion process and other composite manufacturing processes.