Synthesis and characterization of new vinyl acetate grafting onto epoxidized linseed oil in aqueous media

Modified poly (vinyl acetate) copolymers with epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) as co-monomer have been prepared. The polymerization was performed in aqueous medium without any additional protective colloid in the presence of sodium persulfate as catalyst. The effect of vinyl acetate (VAc)/ELO feed ratio, reaction temperature, reaction time, and catalyst amount has been studied. FTIR spectroscopy showed that the reaction between ELO and VAc resulted in slight decrease and shift in ELO characteristic bands of oxirane groups; and new bands were detected in the copolymer spectra attributed to PVAc and ELO functional groups. Moreover, new signals attributable to the copolymer were observed in the H-1 NMR spectra ( 4.07 and 1.62 ppm) and in the C-13 NMR spectra ( 15.29 and 31.0 ppm). Analysis by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed a single T-g for the copolymerization product of VAc and ELO and two T-g for the PVAc/ELO blend, indicating the chemical reaction between VAc and ELO. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42089.