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Updated: May 25, 2025

Designed for Molecular Recycling: A Lignin-Derived Semi-aromatic Biobased Polymer
Published on: November 30, 2020
Facile approach to synthesis of full bio-based cardanol-derived plasticizer for polylactic acid with excellent
1College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Developing a facile approach to fabricate a full bio-based plasticizer for polylactic acid (PLA) with excellent plasticization and water vapor resistance remains a challenge. Herein, we designed and synthesized cardanol-grafting dimer acid diglycidyl ester (CGDAE) as a plasticizer for PLA using natural cardanol, vegetable oil-derived dimer acid, and epichlorohydrin originated from glycerol as feedstocks. Dimer acid diglycidyl ester (DGE) was synthesized by etherifying of dimer acid with epichlorohydrin, followed by the reaction of DGE reacted with cardanol to produce CGDAE. Benefiting from the strong interaction between CGDAE and PLA, CGDAE imparted excellent flexibility, migration, and water vapor resistances to the PLA sample (PLA/CGDAE), which were superior to those of PLA plasticized by commercial dioctyl phthalate (PLA/DOP). Specially, the values of elongation at break, migration resistance in n-hexane as well as the water vapor barrier of PLA/CGDAE increased by 1.9, 5.7 and 17.4 times, respectively, compared to those of PLA product blended with commercial bio-based ESO (PLA/ESO). This study offers a straightforward strategy to manufacture a full bio-based plasticizer capable of totally replacing commercial plasticizers.
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