Degree Type

Thesis

Date of Award

2016

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

Major

Civil Engineering (Civil Engineering Materials)

First Advisor

Christopher Williams

Abstract

Over the past decade, due to the economic and environmental concerns about the excessive usage of oil and its unstable price, development of renewable resources such as vegetable oils as substitutes for petroleum-based products has received considerable attention. Recently, commercial synthesis of oil-based (e.g. soybean, corn, fish, etc.) polymers has prevailed in several applications including food packaging, biomedical devices, paints, coatings, adhesives, and many other applications. Commercial development of Poly-Styrene Poly-Acrylated Epoxidized Soybean Oil (PS-PAESO) as a bio-polymer is currently in progress through ongoing research at Iowa State University. This thesis focuses on investigating the commercial viability of PS-PAESO block copolymers for adhesive applications, in particular, Pressure Sensitive Adhesives (PSAs). A library of candidate materials has been synthesized based on the recommended formulations by industry experts, and the most important physical, rheological, and adhesion properties of the adhesives have been evaluated and compared to petroleum-based counterparts. The results indicate promising potential of the material to perform as well as the commercially available petrochemical PSAs. However, more comprehensive studies on several factors influencing the behavior of bio-renewable PSAs is recommended before commercialization.

Copyright Owner

Zahra Sotoodeh Nia

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

File Size

73 pages

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