LAUSR

New biobased hyperbranched polymers were designed and synthesized from transgenic soybean oil by using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) or sulfur as reaction reagents. The structures of the samples and the reaction mechanisms were confirmed and investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance methods. The gel permeation chromatography (GPC) results showed that the molecular weight of the fully soybean-oil-based polymers could be easily adjusted by controlling the amounts of the reaction reagents rather than vary the reaction time. The oligomers and decomposition products of DCP in the DCP-initiated polymers could be completely removed by using a solution–precipitation method, and finally, several purified fully soybean-oil-based hyperbranched polymers with high molecular weights were obtained. This work makes a great contribution to the sustainability of hyperbranched polymers.