Novel Biobased Materials from Tung Oil-Based Monomer and Tung Oil-Modified Unsaturated Polyester

Two kinds of novel biobased materials were obtained by copolymerization of tung oil -based monomer (TOPERMA) or tung oil-modified unsaturated polyester (UPE-TO) with styrene. Mechanical and thermal properties of the two TO-based biopolymers were presented and compared. It was shown that the UPE-TO polymer matrix showed better toughness than the pure unsaturated polyester (UPE) matrix, while the TOPERMA polymer matrix had better thermal stability than the UPE-TO and the pure UPE matrixes by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These tung oil-based polymers show promise as an alternative to replace petroleum-based materials.