Affordable composites and plastics from renewable resources: Part I: Synthesis of monomers and polymers

Recent advances in genetic engineering, composite science, and natural fiber development offer significant opportunities for new, improved materials from renewable resources that can biodegrade or be recycled, thus enhancing global sustainability. A wide range of high-performance, low-cost materials can be made using plant oils, natural fibers, and lignin. By selecting the fatty acid distribution function of plant oils via computer simulation and the molecular connectivity, we can control chemical functionalization and molecular architecture to produce linear, branched, or cross-linked polymers. These materials can be used as pressure-sensitive adhesives, elastomers, rubbers, and composite resins. This chapter describes the chemical pathways that were used to modify plant oils and allow them to react with each other and various co-monomers to form materials with useful properties.