Using
renewable resources to synthesize a mechanically robust and
self-healing UV-curable material is very important for the development
of sustainable coatings. In this study, two kinds of UV-curable monomers
synthesized from renewable feedstock, malic acid–glycidyl methacrylate
(MG) and citric acid–glycidyl methacrylate (CG), were obtained
under solvent-free conditions. As a result of high cross-linking density
and abundant hydrogen bonds formed in networks, the cured MG and CG
show high glass transition temperature, tensile strength, and modulus
comparable to or better than those of the UV-curable material prepared
from commercial bisphenol A epoxy acrylate (BPAEA). Meanwhile, taking
advantage of −OH groups and the increase in ester concentration
at elevated temperatures, the efficient self-healability of cured
resins can be accomplished without an external catalyst through dynamic
transesterifications. In this work, the cured MG and CG exhibit great
potential in advanced coating applications, which introduces the first
UV-curable materials with an integration of high mechanical performance
and catalyst-free self-healing properties, obtained from bioresources.
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