Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Lesquerella Oil and Its Derivative in Water-Reducible Coatings

By Shelby F. Thames, Haibin Yu

Lesquerella oil (LO), a domestically produced vegetable oil of hydroxy fatty acid composition, has been used as a raw material for the synthesis of novel, water-reducible polyester coatings. The properties of these and castor oil derived polymers have been compared.

Accordingly, polyesters of acid values approaching 50 were synthesized from LO, dehydrated lesquerella oil (DLO), castor oil (CO), and dehydrated castor oil (DCO). Aqueous solutions of the polyesters were prepared and used as ingredients in the formulation of industrial melamine-polyester baked coatings and air-dry poly-ester coatings. They were applied, cured, and their properties evaluated.

The LO and CO derived coatings were comparable in pencil hardness, adhesion, gloss, and gloss retention properties. How-ever, coatings from LO were superior in flexibility and ultraviolet stability.