ORIGINAL ARTICLES Exploring the effect of styrene and anhydride ratio on the coating properties of non-drying vegetable oil based alkyd resin Uzoh C.F. * , Obodo N.J., Onukwuli O.D. Chemical Engineering Department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria Received 26 June 2015; accepted 25 December 2015 KEYWORDS Copolymerization; Palm kernel oil; Alkyd resins; Modification; Surface coating; Non-drying oil Abstract The synthesis of oxy-polymerizable alkyd from non-drying palm kernel oil was studied. Three alkyd resins of medium oil length were prepared using phthalic anhydride, maleic anhydride, and glycerol at stipulated ratios. The prepared alkyd resins were copolymerized with styrene using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as the free radical generator at 150 °C for 3 h. The styrenated alkyds and palm kernel oil-modified alkyds were all characterized for their physico-chemical properties follow- ing standard methods. The styrenated and unstyrenated alkyds were tested for drying schedule, sol- ubility, adhesion, abrasion resistance and chemical resistance. All the resins showed good properties. The styrenated alkyds gave faster drying time, better adhesion, abrasion resistance, and chemical resistance. Unlike the unstyrenated alkyd which was only resistant to water, brine, and acidic media, the styrenated alkyds were also resistant to alkalis. Structural elucidation of the raw materials and their copolymers was done with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and GC–MS instrumental technique. It can be concluded that styrenated alkyds offer improved poten- tial applications in surface coating purposes. Ó 2016 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). 1. Introduction Alkyd resin or oil-modified polyester, traditionally, is the most extensively used synthetic resin in the surface-coating industry. Alkyd-based coating is well known for its fast dryness, good corrosion protection, high gloss and ease of application even over poorly treated surface. The chemistry of the structural units connecting the ester groups allows alkyds to have immense diversity and versatility, such as labile biomedical matrices, liquid crystals, fibers and temperature resistant per- formance materials (Patton, 1962; Athawale and Chamankar, 1998; Kanai et al., 2007; Aigbodion et al., 2003).The demand for alkyd resin for use in the surface coating industry has been increased tremendously in recent times (Akinnawo, 1989). Consequently, there is an increased demand for drying oils required for the production of alkyd resins. These drying oils, which are regarded as standards in surface * Corresponding author. Tel.: +234 8033762029. E-mail address: cf.uzoh@unizik.edu.ng (C.F. Uzoh). Peer review under responsibility of King Saud University. Production and hosting by Elsevier Journal of King Saud University – Engineering Sciences (2016) xxx, xxx–xxx King Saud University Journal of King Saud University – Engineering Sciences www.ksu.edu.sa www.sciencedirect.com http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jksues.2015.12.004 1018-3639 Ó 2016 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Please cite this article in press as: Uzoh, C.F. et al., Exploring the effect of styrene and anhydride ratio on the coating properties of non-drying vegetable oil based alkyd resin. Journal of King Saud University – Engineering Sciences (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jksues.2015.12.004