Free radical induced graft copolymerization of ethyl acrylate onto SOY for multifunctional materials

Soy flour, here referred as SOY, is a low-cost, environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and biorenewablematerial available in excess amount in the United States. However, its hydrophilic nature limits the use ofSOY in many commercial applications. The present research attempts to alter the surface characteristicsof SOY via free radical induced graft copolymerization with ethyl acrylate. Different reaction conditionswere investigated in order to achieve an optimum degree of grafting of ethyl acrylate monomer ontothe SOY. The synthesized graft copolymers were characterized by different techniques to determine theinteraction mechanisms between reaction monomer and SOY. Polymer composites were subsequentlyfabricated to assess the potential of modified SOY for different applications. Composites reinforced bygraft polymerized SOY exhibited significantly increased storage modulus.