Ring-Opening Polymerization of Epoxidized Soybean Oil

Ring-opening polymerization of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) catalyzed by boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BF(3)center dot OEt(2)) in methylene chloride was conducted in an effort to develop useful biodegradable polymers. The resulting polymerized ESO (PESO) were characterized using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, solid state (13)C NMR and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results indicated that PESO materials were highly crosslinked polymers. They had glass transition temperatures ranging from -16 to -48 A degrees C. TGA results showed the PESO polymers were thermally stable at temperatures up to 220 A degrees C. Decomposition of the polymers was found to occur at temperature greater than 340 A degrees C. GPC results indicated the extracted soluble substances from PESO polymers were ESO dimers, trimers and polymers with low molecular weights. The resulting crosslinked polymers can be converted into hydrogels by chemical modification, such as hydrolysis. These soy based hydrogels will find applications in personal care and health care areas.