Carbonated castor oil as a bioplasticiser and toughening agent for bisphenol a based epoxy

Abstract Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), a key intermediate for epoxy resins, provides strong adhesion, processability and the resulting thermoset boasts high cross linking density. However, the inherent brittleness and susceptibility to cracking restrict its advanced applications. To overcome these drawbacks, CO 2 fixed cyclic carbonate from castor oil (CCO) was synthesized from epoxidised castor oil (ECO) and used in varying quantities as a toughening agent for amine cured DGEBA. Different amines have been utilized to cure the epoxy and to study the structure–property relationship by fixing the amount of CCO. The inclusion of 10% CCO resulted in improvement in the tensile strength, storage modulus, flexural modulus, and impact strength of the epoxy‐urethane hybrid. Moreover, the epoxy‐urethane networks had reduced cross linking density imparted by the fatty acid units of CCO and the presence of unreacted carbonate groups facilitated molecular movement, thereby contributing to energy dissipation during the deformation process. Further incorporation of the CCO lowers the mechanical properties of the hybrids due to a reduction in cross linking density. Trimethylolpropane tris[poly(propyleneglycol)amine terminated] ether cured system exhibited the highest thermal stability compared to hexamethylene diamine, isophorone diamine, and 4,7,10‐trioxa‐1,13 tridecanediamine. The T g decreased as the CCO content increased, while the water contact angle increased.