Jean-Mathieu Pin

From Epoxidized Linseed Oil to Bioresin: An Overall Approach of Epoxy/Anhydride Cross‐Linking

Biorenewable resources can be used as green monomers to design tailored structures for formulations that can play an important role as functional materials. The choice of optimal structures depends on the targeted properties and applications. This work focuses on the elaboration of biobased materials with toughened mechanical properties based on epoxidized linseed oil. This result was obtained by an overall approach of cross-linking process, that is, starting with the optimal choice of hardeners and finally favoring the side reactions of polymerization. Therefore, the anionic alternating copolymerization of epoxide with mono- and dianhydrides was investigated to tailor the parameters that led to maximal conversions and properties. The obtained highly cross-linked networks perform well, as demonstrated by good impact strengths, high glass transition temperatures, and excellent thermal stability, which opens up the possibility of using these emergent materials for industrial applications.

Copolymerization as a Strategy to Combine Epoxidized Linseed Oil and Furfuryl Alcohol: The Design of a Fully Bio-Based Thermoset

Epoxidized linseed oil and furfuryl alcohol are bio-sourced monomers known for their high-potential applications in materials science. In this work, we propose the association of these monomers through copolymerization reactions with the target to design fully bio-based thermosets. Herein, investigations on cationic polymerization reactivity have been explored using differential scanning calorimetry. The obtained structures have been confirmed by IR spectroscopy and 2 D NMR spectroscopy, which revealed the principal chain connections. In spite of the multiple capabilities of chemical connections, which include copolymerization and cross-linking, the obtained networks are homogeneous as confirmed by dynamic mechanical analysis and SEM. Furthermore, the copolymer demonstrates a semiductile behavior if subjected to tensile measurements (tensile strain at break ≈40 %), which is a significant advance in terms of its applications as a furanic bio-based thermoset material.

Star-epoxy mesogen with 1,3,5-triazine core: a model of A4B3 fractal polymerization in a liquid crystalline thermoset media

A star-epoxy monomer (TriaEP) has been synthesized by the creation of a 1,3,5-triazine core. Its association with an aromatic di-amine reveals an A4B3 cross-linked polymer that exhibits a complex mechanism of self-assembly. These architectural aspects, resulting from both fractal polymerization and mesophase growth, are discussed in regard to its outstanding thermo-mechanical properties.