Assistant Professor West Texas A & M University Canyon, Texas, United States
Abstract: Substituting petrochemical raw materials with natural oils has been a topic of interest for many years that leads to greater sustainability, economic vitality, and environmental conservation. Our study analyzes the mechanical and thermochemical properties of various bio-based epoxy resins synthesized from epoxidized soybean oil and limonene oxide, using tris(pentafluorophenhyl)borane (BCF) as a catalyst. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) suggested that increasing the concentration of epoxidized soybean oil is directly proportional to thermal stability. Additionally, hardness of these resins was found to be at above average when compared to petroleum-based epoxy resins. Overall, epoxides were readily consumed in the reaction providing highly crosslinked epoxy cast resins.
