Dimer fatty acid – A renewable building block for high-performance polymeric materials

The chemical industry's increased use of renewable resources is primarily motivated by environmental concerns. However, as an unnoticed side effect of this transformation, new chemical building blocks that were previously unavailable economically from petrochemical sources have become available. In this regard, dimer fatty acids (DFAs) and their derivatives have emerged as one of the most attractive alternatives for developing unique and revolutionary biobased polymers because of their readily available nature, low toxicity, and excellent adaptability. In addition, its bifunctional structure enables the formation of novel polymers such as polyesters, polyurethanes, polyamides, epoxies and other related copolymers that have previously been widely investigated. Despite several potential applications, including waterborne coatings, foams, thermal stabilisers, adhesives, printing inks, and UV-curing resins, these polymeric materials derived from DFA have recently gained attention. This article aims to illustrate the most relevant research in polymeric materials derived from DFAs, demonstrate the unique properties of these materials, and highlight areas where further research is required.