Sunflower, soybean, and linseed oils are renewable resources that can be readily epoxidized. Epoxidation of these oils has the potential for use as an environmentally friendly, reactive material in pigmented formulation, designed for use as functional coatings. This study concern the synthesis of phthalimide modified epoxy compounds through reacting N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl) phthalimide (HEP) with epoxidized sunflower, soybean and linseed oils. The resulting compounds possessed both oxirane ring and phthalimide group. Incorporation of phthalimide group into epoxy resins provided cyclic imide structure and high cross‐linking density to the stoved resins, to achieve good mechanical characteristics and high chemical resistance to these resins. The films of phthalimide sunflower, soybean and linseed‐based epoxy resins were found to be similar with respect to resistance to water, alkali, acids, and solvents as well as gloss%, adhesion, impact, hardness, bending, and flexibility.

A series of novel glycerol-based nonionic surfactants were synthesized from the trans esterfication of various long chain fatty acid methyl ester with glycerol ester of dibasic acid (succinic acid, and adipic acid). The chemical structure of the prepared compounds was confirmed using elemental analysis, FTIR, and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Surface active properties at air-aqueous solution were determined using Gibb's adsorption equations including critical micelle concentration (cmc), surface excess at air water interface (Γ_max) and minimum surface area (A_min). The effects of hydrophobic and hydrophilic chain length on the surface parameters of the prepared surfactants were discussed. Surfactants with proper HLB which were soluble in the oil phase and in the presence of a very small amount of water formed a stable emulsion. The solubility state of oil and surfactant was the key to making a fine emulsion.

Epoxy esters were prepared by reacting sunflower oil fatty acids with epoxy resins which were prepared by the epoxidation of P-cresol/formaldehyde resins (1:1, 3:2, 2:1). The epoxy esters were blended with alkyd resin and the film characteristics of these blends were studied at different pigmentation level. It was found that the cured films showed excellent resistance to water and solvents (acetone, ethanol, methanol, ethylmethylketone, toluene), while the resistance to alkali (10% NaOH) was poor. It was also found that increasing the ratio of P-cresol/formaldehyde increase the acid resistance and no significant difference was observed with these tests. All the coating films exhibited a very good adhesion to metallic substrate, good impact, scratch hardness, and flexibility.