Biobased Composites by Photoinduced Polymerization of Cardanol Methacrylate with Microfibrillated Cellulose

Biobased monomers and green processes are key to producing sustainable materials. Cardanol, an aromatic compound obtained from cashew nut shells, may be conveniently functionalized, e.g., with epoxy or (meth)acrylate groups, to replace petroleum-based monomers. Photoinduced polymerization is recognized as a sustainable process, less energy intensive than thermal curing; however, cardanol-based UV-cured polymers have relatively low thermomechanical properties, making them mostly suitable as reactive diluents or in non-structural applications such as coatings. It is therefore convenient to combine them with biobased reinforcements, such as microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), to obtain composites with good mechanical properties. In this work a cardanol-based methacrylate monomer was photopolymerized in the presence of MFC to yield self-standing, flexible, and relatively transparent films with high thermal stability. The polymerization process was completed within few minutes even in the presence of filler, and the cellulosic filler was not affected by the photopolymerization process.

UV Polymerization of Methacrylates—Preparation and Properties of Novel Copolymers

More environmentally friendly polymeric materials for use in corrosive conditions were obtained in the process of UV polymerization of terpene methacrylate monomers: geranyl methacrylate and citronellyl methacrylate and the commercially available monomer methyl methacrylate. Selected properties (solvent resistance, chemical resistance, glass transition temperature, thermal stability, and decomposition course during heating) were evaluated. It was found that the properties of the materials directly depended on the monomer percentage and the conditioning temperatures used. An increase in the geranyl or citronellyl methacrylate monomer content in the copolymers reduced the solubility and chemical resistance of the materials post-cured at 50 °C. The samples post-cured at 120 °C were characterized by high resistance to polar and non-polar solvents and the chemical environment, regardless of the percentage composition. The glass transition temperatures for samples conditioned at 120 °C increased with increasing content of methyl methacrylate in the copolymers. The thermal stability of copolymers depended on the conditioning temperatures used. It was greater than 200 °C for most copolymers post-cured at 120 °C. The process of pyrolysis of copolymers led to the emission of geranyl methacrylate, citronellyl methacrylate, and methyl methacrylate monomers as the main pyrolysis volatiles.

Thermal Stability and Kinetics of Thermal Decomposition of Statistical Copolymers of N-Vinylpyrrolidone and Alkyl Methacrylates Synthesized via RAFT Polymerization

The thermal stability and the kinetics of thermal decomposition of statistical copolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) with the alkyl methacrylates, hexyl methacrylate (HMA) and stearyl methacrylate (SMA), were studied by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Thermogravimetry (DTG). Statistical copolymers of different compositions were studied, and their thermal decomposition behavior was compared to the corresponding homopolymers. The activation energies of the thermal decomposition were calculated using the Ozawa-Flynn-Wall, the Kissinger, and the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methodologies. The effects of the nature of the methacrylate monomer, the copolymer composition, and the rate of heating are discussed.

Ion Imprinted Polymers Prepared with a Novel Cd(II) Methacrylate Monomer Complex with 1-Vinylimidazole for Selective Removal of Cd(II) Ions

A novel [Cd(maa)2(vim)2H2O]·H2O monomer complex was synthesized using methacrylic acid (maaH) and 1-vinylimidazole (vim) that are suitable ligands for polymerization with cadmium central atom. Cd(II)-IIP was prepared by precipitation polymerization technique using monomer complex, EGDMA, and AIBN as functional monomer, crosslinker, and initiator, respectively. The structure of the monomer complex was elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction method. Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) methods were used for characterization both of the monomer complex and Cd(II)-IIP. Scanning electron microscopy / energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) methods were used for observation surface morphology and content of the polymer surfaces. The adsorption performance and selectivity properties of Cd(II)-IIP were also investigated. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cd(II)-IIP was 43.0 mg/g with 250 mg/L initial Cd(II) concentration at pH:6.0, and the selectivity was higher for Cd2+ ions than that of Pb2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+ as competitor ions. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied comparatively to experimental results. Cd(II) ion content of the solutions determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).