Presenters Name: Andriy Voronov

Employment Title: Professor

Company: North Dakota State University

Biography:  Professor Andriy Voronov works in Coatings and Polymeric Materials Department at North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA. He completed his degrees in Ukraine, gaining PhD in Polymer Chemistry from Lviv Polytechnic National University. Voronov was and Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, Visiting Scientist at Vienna University of Technology and Science, Visiting Fellow at the University of Ulm, Germany and Institute Charles Sadron in Strasbourg, France. Before joining NDSU, he held Research Scientist position at the Institute of Particle Technology, University of Elrangen-Nuremberg, Germany.

His research expertise is polymer synthesis and polymeric materials with an emphasize on sustainable monomers and polymers from various natural/renewable resources, in particular, plant/vegetable oils, including biobased latexes and their applications as thermoplastic, thermosets, bioplastics, surfactants, surface modifiers, adhesives, coatings etc.
Voronov’s list of publication includes more than 130 peer-reviewed journal articles, 12 book chapters, 2 recent US patents issued on biobased monomers and polymers. While at NDSU, he was involved in about 45 research projects funded by federal and local agencies.

Presentation Title: Biobased Polymeric Materials Derived from Plant/Vegetable Oils Triglycerides

Presentation Abstract: We developed one-step transesterification process to convert plant/vegetable oil triglycerides into sustainable acrylic monomers to be employed in polymer synthesis using free radical mechanisms. There is a library of 15 such monomers from oils broadly varying in triglyceride mixtures chemical composition available for the synthesis of (co)polymers (including latexes) in combination with various commodity and biobased counterparts.
The developed plant oil-based monomers (POBMs) uniquely combine triglycerides fatty acid moieties of varying unsaturation with saturated ones. The latter allows either formation of crystalline domains in polymers (from saturated fragments) or “on-demand’ cross-linking to form networks, as well as provides a versatile tool to tune thermomechanical properties and performance of the resulted sustainable polymeric materials.
This presentation discusses synthesis of biobased polymeric materials (including latexes) from POBMs to be potentially applied in adhesives, coatings, personal care products etc., as well as demonstrates feasibility for incorporation of POBMs ingredients into bioplastics, as opportunities to replace petroleum-based counterparts and not only improve the materials sustainability but also enhance their performance.