Hydrogenated dimer acid-based Nylon 636/Nylon 66 copolymers were synthesized by in situ polymerization. The effects of Nylon 66 contents on the copolymers were characterized by intrinsic viscosity measurements, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and mechanical tests. The results showed that incorporation of Nylon 66 into hydrogenated dimer acid-based Nylon had no significant effect on the glass transition or melting temperatures. However, the crystallization temperature, crystallinity degree and the maximum rate of decomposition temperature from derivative thermogravimetry measurements vary. Mechanical testing data revealed that with increasing Nylon 66 concentrations, the tensile strength of copolymers increased, while the elongation at break point and notched izod impact strength decreased. The physical and mechanical properties of HN-40, HN-50 and HN-60 are similar to those of the current PAl 1, PAl212, and PAlll 1 Nylon products.
As the oil crisis and environment concerning deepen, the uses of renewable resources have attracted considerable attention. Polyol intended for synthesis of polyurethane polymers was prepared by a novel direct hydroxylation of soybean oil, alternative to petroleum- based process. The transformation can afford soybean oil polyol in excellent yield with a hydroxyl number up to 467.7 mg KOH/g in the presence of OsO4 as catalyst and NMO as oxidant. The major advantages of this approach are： two hydroxyl groups can be readily added to one double bond, replacing conventional two-step methods by an epoxidation step and then a ring opening step; a wide range of hydroxyl numbers can be obtained via varying catalyst loadings; the reaction can be performed at room temperature. The chemical structure of the polyol prepared was further characterized by chemical methods （hydroxyl number and iodine number） and spectra （1H NMR and FFIR spectroscopy）, which confirmed the cleavage of the double bonds and the produce of hydroxyl groups.
