9:00 am - 10:00 am
A graduate exam seminar is a presentation of the student’s final research project for their degree.
This is an ALES PhD Final Exam Seminar by Vinay Patel. This seminar is open to the general public to attend.
https://ualberta-ca.zoom.us/j/93154419190?pwd=RDQ3Ykhvb1prUmZRZ042aHVaSEJyUT09
Meeting ID: 931 5441 9190 | Passcode: 810788
+15873281099,,93154419190# Canada
+16473744685,,93154419190# Canada
Find your local number: https://ualberta-ca.zoom.us/u/acgpBu4Y2s
Thesis Topic: Synthesis of Bioresins from Plant Oil Epoxides
PhD with Drs. Jonathan Curtis and Cagri Ayranci
Seminar Abstract:
The overall objective of this thesis is to develop bioresins from plant oil epoxides for use in biocomposites and other applications. Plant oil-based epoxides have shown promise as feedstocks to replace non-renewable epoxides used in many applications, from biocomposite manufacturing to adhesives and coatings. However, plant oil epoxides are often not directly compatible with many of the hardeners, requiring a solvent to prepare one phase epoxide-hardener mixtures. The work described in this thesis is aimed at making plant oil-based bioresins and biocomposites, without the use of solvents and catalysts. In order to achieve a one phase epoxide- curing agent mixture, this thesis explores two possibilities: 1. modification of the plant oil epoxides and 2. modification of the curing agent, specifically in the synthesis of biobased curing agents.
In the first possibility, low viscosity epoxidized methyl esters (EMS) were found to act as reactive diluents for the curing agent. However, prepolymer mixtures containing EMS have a limited pot life because they rapidly start to polymerise, leading to increased viscosity which causes major difficulties in biocomposite manufacturing.
In the second possibility, a fully biobased and multifunctional carboxylic acid was modified into its esters via solvent- and catalyst-free esterification with various alcohols. These synthesized mixtures were found to be fully miscible with plant-oil-epoxides and were used to prepare biocomposite materials with useful properties.
Categories: