Epoxy resins possess a variety of excellent properties including adhesion, mechanical performance, electrical insulation and chemical resistance; however cured epoxy resin is brittle and typically petroleum based. Rising concerns about depletion of nonrenewable resources and climate change have resulted in attempts to find green alternatives for petroleum based materials and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The present review is aimed to discuss green approaches to overcome epoxy resins brittleness and deal with ongoing research strategies to make tough biobased epoxies. First, the key toughening modifiers such as rubbers, thermoplastics, nanofillers, dendritic and block copolymers are briefly discussed and pros and cons of each method are presented. Then, the studies that followed green approaches are thoroughly reviewed. The utilization of epoxidized vegetable oils, biobased hyperbranched polymers and biobased copolymers in epoxy matrix are discussed. The challenges for commercialization of biobased modifiers are assessed and the present and prospective status of research and development of the tough biobased epoxies are explored.

中文翻译：

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用绿色方法来制造难处理的生物基环氧树脂：综述

环氧树脂具有多种优异的性能，包括粘合性，机械性能，电绝缘性和耐化学性；但是，固化的环氧树脂是脆性的，通常是石油基的。对不可再生资源的枯竭和气候变化的关注日益增加，导致人们试图寻找石油基材料的绿色替代品并减少温室气体的排放。本综述旨在讨论克服环氧树脂脆性的绿色方法，并探讨正在进行的研究策略以制造坚韧的生物基环氧树脂。首先，简要讨论了关键的增韧改性剂，例如橡胶，热塑性塑料，纳米填料，树枝状和嵌段共聚物，并介绍了每种方法的优缺点。然后，对遵循绿色方法的研究进行了全面回顾。讨论了环氧化植物油，生物基超支化聚合物和生物基共聚物在环氧基质中的利用。评估了生物基改性剂商业化所面临的挑战，并研究了强韧的生物基环氧树脂的研发现状和前景。