SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A SELF-CROSS-LINKABLE POLYMER FROM CARDANOL - AUTOOXIDATION OF POLY(CARDANYL ACRYLATE) TO CROSS-LINKED FILM

Cardanyl acrylate (CA), a monomer that yields crosslinkable copolymers, was synthesized by the reaction of cardanol with acryloyl chloride. A linear polymer was obtained by solution polymerization of the monomer in toluene using 0.8% azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. Upon removal of solvent, the polymer undergoes crosslinking on exposure to air (or UV light) to give an insoluble transparent film. However, in bulk and suspension polymerization the polymer undergoes in situ crosslinking in the absence of any crosslinking agent. The polymer was characterized by IR, NMR, DSC, and GPC. The crosslinking reaction of soluble polymer on exposure to air at ambient conditions was explained by the hydroperoxide theory.