Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 8
Development of Bio-based
Unsaturated Polyester Resins
from Natural Oils or their
Derivates
CHENGGUO LIU
a,b
AND YONGHONG ZHOU*
a
a
Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of
Forestry, Nanjing 210042, People's Republic of China;
b
Institute of Forest
New Technology, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, People's
Republic of China
*Email: yhzhou777@sina.com
8.1 Introduction
Due to the uncertainties concerning petroleum supply and prices in the
future, as well as environmental pollution problems, there has been a
growing interest in the synthesis of chemicals or materials from renewable
resources. Natural oils, especially plant oils, have been regarded as one
of the most valuable bio-resources because of their low cost, the rich
chemistry that their triglyceride structures provide, and their potential bio-
degradability.
1-4
Thus far, they have been employed to prepare oil-based
unsaturated polyester resins (UPRs) which can be broadly used in coatings,
structural plastics, and fiber-reinforced composites.
1-4
Another reason for
using plant oils to fabricate UPRs is that plant oils contain the characteristic
structures of unsaturated polyester (UPE): unsaturated carbon double (C
ΒΌ
C)
