Sustainable Epoxy Vitrimers from Epoxidized Soybean Oil and Vanillin
Category
Topical Literature Review
Department
Material Science
Student Status
Graduate
Research Advisor
Dr. Ram Gupta
Document Type
Event
Location
Student Center Ballroom
Start Date
10-4-2025 2:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2025 4:00 PM
Description
Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO)-derived epoxy thermosets often suffer from poor mechanical properties and lack of reprocessability. This study presents a sustainable epoxy vitrimer synthesized by curing ESO with vanillin-derived Schiff base (VSB) as a dynamic hardener and 1,2-dimethylimidazole as an accelerator. The phenolic hydroxyl groups in VSB exhibit high reactivity with ESO's epoxy groups, with a curing activation energy of 108.9 kJ/mol. By adjusting the feed ratio of ESO and VSB, the vitrimer's mechanical properties can be tailored from soft to tough and hard materials. The dynamic Schiff base bonds impart the vitrimer with excellent reprocessability, weldability, reconfigurability, and programmability, facilitating recycling and reshaping of cured materials. The vitrimers also exhibit superior thermal stability with an onset decomposition temperature of around 400C. This study highlights the potential of ESO-derived epoxy vitrimers as viable alternatives to traditional epoxy thermosets, offering sustainability, tunable mechanical properties, and enhanced functionality.
Sustainable Epoxy Vitrimers from Epoxidized Soybean Oil and Vanillin
Student Center Ballroom
Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO)-derived epoxy thermosets often suffer from poor mechanical properties and lack of reprocessability. This study presents a sustainable epoxy vitrimer synthesized by curing ESO with vanillin-derived Schiff base (VSB) as a dynamic hardener and 1,2-dimethylimidazole as an accelerator. The phenolic hydroxyl groups in VSB exhibit high reactivity with ESO's epoxy groups, with a curing activation energy of 108.9 kJ/mol. By adjusting the feed ratio of ESO and VSB, the vitrimer's mechanical properties can be tailored from soft to tough and hard materials. The dynamic Schiff base bonds impart the vitrimer with excellent reprocessability, weldability, reconfigurability, and programmability, facilitating recycling and reshaping of cured materials. The vitrimers also exhibit superior thermal stability with an onset decomposition temperature of around 400C. This study highlights the potential of ESO-derived epoxy vitrimers as viable alternatives to traditional epoxy thermosets, offering sustainability, tunable mechanical properties, and enhanced functionality.
