Limonene as biobased building block for functional monoterpene acrylate monomers

Limonene, a widely used natural raw material, provides an excellent basis for the synthesis of functional acrylate monomers. The presence of two double bonds in this monoterpene enables a twofold functionalization, enhancing its versatility for various chemical modifications. By incorporating an acrylate functionality, the polymerization potential of this terpene is significantly increased, allowing for the production of polymers with high conversion rates. The introduction of additional functional groups also makes the synthesized polymers suitable for applications requiring subsequent crosslinking or specialized material properties. Besides the mono- and bifunctional acrylate monomers, variants with additional hydroxyl and epoxide groups were synthesized. These considerably extend the versatility and application possibilities of the compounds. As proof of concept, free radical polymerization of the monomers was demonstrated in this work, and the reaction was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The resulting polymers exhibit glass transition temperatures between 83 and 96°C, making them suitable for use in, e.g., coating systems.