Eco-friendly castor oil-based UV-curable urethane acrylate zinc oxide nanocomposites: Synthesis and viscoelastic behavior

Abstract

Attention to environmental problems and the importance of maintaining it have caused the researchers to pay more attention in this regard. The production of polymers and resins has increased in recent years and has affected by environmental pollution due to their long-term degradation. An appropriate solution to this problem is the synthesis of degradable and environmentally friendly polymers and resins. Using natural materials in the synthesis of polymers and resins can help them to be environmentally friendly. The purpose of this research is to synthesize urethane acrylate resins using natural resources. For this purpose, the urethane acrylate pre-polymer was synthesized with castor oil. Then, using modified zinc oxide nanoparticles with 1, 3 and 5 wt% urethane acrylate zinc oxide nanocomposites were produced. The use of castor oil as a degradable part and lack of organic solvent in radiation systems led to the creation of an environmentally friendly resin. Subsequently, the viscoelastic behavior of the prepared nanocomposite was evaluated. Spectrometry results confirm the synthesized resin structure. The morphology of nanocomposites confirmed the proper particle size distribution in a 3 wt.% sample. The results of the dynamic mechanical thermal analysis test showed that increasing the amount of modified nano ZnO could increase the glass transition temperature, and the maximum value was observed in 5 wt.% modified nano ZnO (69.7℃).