Bio- and CO2-based high performance thermoset poly(hydroxyurethane) (PHU) glues were designed from solvent- and isocyanate-free formulations based on cyclocarbonated soybean oil, diamines (aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic) and functional silica or ZnO fillers.

Green routes for the synthesis of high-performance isocyanate-free polyurethane coatings and adhesives are intensively searched for. In this article, we report a solvent- and isocyanate-free formulation for novel poly­(hydroxyurethane) glues bearing strongly adherent catechol groups. These adhesives are prepared by the polyaddition of a CO2-sourced tricyclic carbonate, hexamethylene diamine, and a catecholamine (dopamine). The role of the catechol functions on the PHU curing and on the final PHU properties are investigated. Although the dopamine slows down the curing of the formulation, this catecholamine added at only 3.9 mol % impressively improves the mechanical and adhesion performances of PHU. The lap shear adhesion of our product surpasses those of PHU that do not contain the catechols. We also demonstrate that the catechol-bearing PHU glues are competing with the adhesion performances of commercial PU glues, at least when a thermal curing is implemented to overcome the low reactivity of cyclic carbonate with amines. The use of renewable feedstocks, the solvent-free process, the atom economy polyaddition reaction, and the absence of any toxic reagent benefit the sustainability of the final product.

Polyurethane (PU) adhesives and coatings are widely used to fabricate high-quality materials due to their excellent properties and their versatile nature, which stems from the wide range of commercially available polyisocyanate and polyol precursors. This polymer family has traditionally been used in a wide range of adhesive applications including the bonding of footwear soles, bonding of wood (flooring) to concrete (subflooring), in the automotive industry for adhering different car parts, and in rotor blades, in which large surfaces are required to be adhered. Moreover, PUs are also frequently applied as coatings/paints for automotive finishes and can be applied over a wide range of substrates such as wood, metal, plastic, and textiles. One of the major drawbacks of this polymer family lies in the use of toxic isocyanate-based starting materials. In the context of the REACH regulation, which places restrictions on the use of substances containing free isocyanates, it is now urgent to find greener routes to PUs. While non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) based on the polyaddition of poly(cyclic carbonate)s to polyamines have emerged in the past decade as greener alternatives to conventional PUs, their industrial implementation is at an early stage of development. In this review article, recent advances in the application of NIPUs in the field of adhesives and coatings are summarized. The article also draws attention to the opportunities and challenges of implementing NIPUs at the industrial scale.

High performance adhesives for bare aluminum are prepared by reinforcing poly(hydroxyurethane) (PHU) thermosets with (functional) nanofillers and poly(dimethylsiloxane).