A series of high solid alkyd polymers from soya oil fatty acid (SOFA) and dehydrated castor oil fatty acid
(DCOFA) combinations with varying percentage of dipentaerythritol (DPE, a hexafunctional polyol) have
been synthesized and characterized for their physicochemical, optical, thermal andmechanical properties.
For the study purpose the polymers were prepared at 80% solids in mineral turpentine oil (MTO) keeping
the oil length constant. The curing behavior of the alkyds was studied using FT-IR and DSC. Increasing
DPE content in resin backbonewas found to increase gloss and hardness. The gloss improvementwas also
supported well by atomic force microscopy (AFM) pictures. Results of 500 h of QUV exposure revealed
higher gloss retention for DPE-based systems. When compared for the anticorrosive properties, the EIS
spectrum reveals that alkyd film containing 100% DPE has the higher value of impedance.