Production of Sequential Interpenetrating Polymer Networks from Ximenia americana Seed Oil-based Polyurethanes and Polystyrene

Abstract

Interpenetrating polymer network are combinations of two or more polymer in network form. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the production and characterization of sequential polyurethane-polystyrene interpenetrating polymer networks from different diisocyanates and varied styrene content using Ximenia americana seed oil as base material. The polymer networks were characterized for their Tensile, Swelling and Thermal properties. The tensile strength and tensile modulus for MDPU-1.50-PS polymer networks, 57.86 ±5.42 - 422.85±15.25 MPa and 2.26±0.91 - 11.08±4.21 MPa respectively are higher than the values represented for HDPU-1.50-PS and TDPU-1.50-PS polymer networks, but the latter polymer networks are higher in values for elongation at break than the former. This is also corroborated by the swelling mass ratio (q_m) with values for HDPU-1.50-PS and TDPU-1.50-PS networks higher than those for MDPU-1.50-PS, consistent with lower polystyrene crosslinks in the former polymer networks. Thermal studies present HDPU-1.50-PS-20 as the most stable network at 10% degradation, but at higher degradation temperatures MDPU-1.50-PS-20 polymer network shows stability up to 600⁰C with 19.40g residual weight of char polymer. This study shows that derivatised Ximenia americana seed oil is suitable as starting material for preparation of an interpenetrating polymer network.