Synthesis and Properties of Renewable Environment‐Friendly Epoxy Resins for Surface Coatings

Abstract

Sunflower, soybean, and linseed oils are renewable resources that can be readily epoxidized. Epoxidation of these oils has the potential for use as an environmentally friendly, reactive material in pigmented formulation, designed for use as functional coatings. This study concern the synthesis of phthalimide modified epoxy compounds through reacting N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl) phthalimide (HEP) with epoxidized sunflower, soybean and linseed oils. The resulting compounds possessed both oxirane ring and phthalimide group. Incorporation of phthalimide group into epoxy resins provided cyclic imide structure and high cross‐linking density to the stoved resins, to achieve good mechanical characteristics and high chemical resistance to these resins. The films of phthalimide sunflower, soybean and linseed‐based epoxy resins were found to be similar with respect to resistance to water, alkali, acids, and solvents as well as gloss%, adhesion, impact, hardness, bending, and flexibility.

Keywords:

• Epoxy resins
• phthalimide
• chemical resistances
• mechanical properties