Preparation of 4,4′-Bismaleimidodiphenylmethane-Acenaphthylene Copolymer via Self-Stabilized Precipitation Polymerization and Its Application in Catalytic Synthesis of Biodiesel

Bismaleimide (BMI) resins are known for their notable electrical insulation, heat resistance, and radiation resistance and are widely used in aerospace and mechanical engineering fields, but their applications in the catalytic field are relatively limited. In this work, the copolymerization of 4,4′-bismaleimidodiphenylmethane (BMIM) and acenaphthylene (AP) was conducted via the self-stabilized precipitation (2SP) polymerization technique to synthesize BMIM-based functional polymer (PBA) microspheres. As a result, uniform PBA polymer microspheres with particle size of about 2.46 μm and a maximum yield reaching 88% were successfully fabricated, which exhibited excellent thermal stability with the initial decomposition temperature of 447 °C. Subsequent sulfonation modification of PBA afforded solid acid catalyst PBA-SO3H, which exhibits remarkable catalytic performance in facilitating the reaction between lauric acid and anhydrous methanol to synthesize biodiesel, achieving an impressive conversion efficiency of up to 94%. Following five consecutive catalytic reaction cycles, the conversion rate of lauric acid maintained a level exceeding 90%, indicating good reusability. These results underscore the promising potential of the functionalized bismaleimide copolymer microspheres for the applications within the realm of catalytic synthesis.