Acrylated soybean oil: a key intermediate for more sustainable elastomeric materials from silicones

Silicone elastomers are widely used because of their myriad useful properties. However, their synthesis requires a high energy input. We report that the amount of silicone, per application, can be significantly reduced by the creation of silicone composites derived from soybean oil. Acrylated soybean oil, prepared by addition of acrylic acid to epoxidized soybean oil, was linked to aminoalkylsilicones using a catalyst-free aza-Michael reaction in the absence of solvents; the reaction takes <1-12 hours depending on reaction temperature (room temperature to 60 degrees C). The resulting opaque elastomers behave very similarly to silicone elastomers with respect to durometer, surface energy and thermal stability. Although stable to boiling water, the products readily undergo degradation by basic alcoholysis in ethanol to give processable oils.

Automated summary

Silicone elastomers, widely used for their useful properties, can be synthesized with high energy input. However, a study found that the amount of silicone used per application can be significantly reduced by using silicone composites derived from soybean oil. These composites behave similarly to silicone elastomers and can be degraded by basic alcoholysis.