SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF INTERPENETRATING POLYMER NETWORKS BASED ON POLYOL MODIFIED CASTOR oil POLYURETHENES AND CARDANOL BASED DYES

Abstract

newline Because of pressing demand on reduction of consumption of petroleum and petrochemical products, the use of natural renewable resources to substitute petroleum derivaties has gained tremendous impetus in the last few years. Crude Oil and Coal deposits which are the prime sources for the production of polymeric materials are rapidly decreasing due to over population leading to increasing demand for the use of polymers. Consequently, much attention is now being paid to the synthesis of polymers from natural agro based renewable resoruces as alternatives to conventional petrochemicals all over the world. Further, awareness of the waste management and the impact of the waste on the eco-system have engineered new interests in the field of biopolymers derived from agricultural by-products. In the present study, the Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) a by-product of cashew industries has been utilized as a potential source of low cost biomonomer (cardanol) having an unsaturated aliphatic side chain and a phenolic group in the benzene ring. Castor oil, a commercially important low cost natural polyol, has been modified and used as polyol modified castor oil, a biomonomer, for the production of cost effective polymeric materials with improved