Novel polymeric materials from soybean oils : Synthesis, properties, and potential applications

A variety of promising new polymeric materials, ranging from soft rubbers to hard, tough and rigid plastics, have been prepared by the cationic copolymerization of readily available soybean oils and alkenes initiated by boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BFE). The resulting polymers possess good thermal and mechanical properties, including good damping and shape memory properties. As such, these new biomaterials appear promising as replacements for a variety of petroleum-based polymers.