Highly bio-based epoxy-Amine thermosets derived from lignocellulosic biomass

Composites and advanced materials derived from renewable resources are becoming considerably attractive as sustainable alternatives to their petroleum-derived counterparts. Phenolic epoxies derived from lignin, an underutilized resource generated as waste by the pulp and paper industry as well as the biofuels industry, and (hemi)cellulose-derived epoxy curing agents are already proven independently to yield thermosetting resins possessing adequate thermal and thermomechanical properties. In this work, vanillyl alcohol was utilized as a promising lignin-derived building block for the synthesis of epoxy monomers and resins. These new epoxy monomers and resins were subsequently cured via furanyl-derived curing agents to determine the properties and characteristics of such highly bio-based thermosets. Resins with bio-derived carbon content greater than 97 % were characterized via FTIR, TGA, and DMA. Lignin-derived epoxy resins were found to be compatible with a furanyl-diamine curing agents to produce thermosetting resins with promising thermomechanical and thermogravimetric properties, indicating viability for supplanting petroleum-based polymers in the composites and advanced materials sectors with nature-inspired, multifaceted, xylochemical-derived, hybrid materials with superior, sustainable, and customizable characteristics.