Utilization of Anhydrides and Monoglycerides for Ultra‐Violet Curable Alkyd Resin Preparation via Solvent‐Free Enzymatic Process

ABSTRACT The main objective of this study was to determine the ideal condition for synthesizing bio‐based ultra‐violet curable resin based on itaconic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, succinic anhydride, monoglycerides, and glycidyl methacrylate using solvent‐free enzymatic polymerization with different monomers. Novozym 435 was employed as a biocatalyst in this synthesis process. The resin was mixed with photoinitiator before it was exposed to ultra‐violet radiation for the curing process. As for the ultra‐violet curing process, the dosage of photoinitiator based on the resin and its gel content were also investigated. From the results, it can be said that the ultra‐violet curable resins have been successfully prepared using an enzymatic polymerization technique with a weight‐average molecular weight between 1848 and 2073 at an ideal condition. This could only be achieved when the monomers were exposed to a pre‐reaction at 110°C–120°C for 2.5 h. As for the gel content of the film made of the resin, it could reach above 90% when the dosage of the photoinitiator was fixed at 5%. It is also noteworthy that the used biocatalyst could be recycled and supplemented with a small quantity of new enzyme to achieve the same efficiency of new enzyme at the same amount.