Incorporation of Natural Renewable Components and Waste Byproducts to Benzoxazine Based High Performance Materials

This review highlights very recent attempts to incorporate natural renewable resources in benzoxazine resin synthesis and the properties of polybenzoxazines derived from them. Strong environmental incentives to reduce consumption of petroleum and its derivatives have also influenced the choice of raw materials for benzoxazine synthesis among many other synthetic polymer precursors. It will be seen that properties of naturally derived polybenzoxazines offer comparable physical and mechanical properties, or unique properties derived from multifunctionality of natural raw materials, often derived from multi-functionality of the natural raw materials. Benzoxazine chemistry’s versatile molecular design flexibility allows incorporation of naturally occurring phenolics, primary amines and hydroxyl compounds, such as cashew nut shell oil, urushiol, terepene, levulinic acid, and cellulose. Use of glycerol as biodiesel production waste from primary waste, such as used cooking oil and fat, as well as naturally occurring amine compound in a biomimetic manner are also discussed.