Nonisocyanate
polyurethane (NIPU) thermoset networks were produced
from a novel soybean-oil-derived poly(vinyl ether) (i.e., poly[(2-vinyoxy)ethyl
soyate]) possessing cyclic carbonate functional groups in the fatty
acid ester side chains of the polymer. Three different linear aliphatic
diamines, namely, 1,6-hexamethylenediamine, 1,9-nonanediamine, and
1,13-tridecanediamine, were used to cross-link the cyclic carbonate-functional
poly[(2-vinyoxy)ethyl soyate] [C-poly(2-VOES)]. All three of these
diamines can be readily obtained from renewable resources. For comparison
purposes, analogous NIPU networks were produced using cyclic carbonate-functional
soybean oil (CSBO) in place of the C-poly(2-VOES). The chemical, thermal,
viscoelastic, and mechanical properties of the six NIPU networks were
characterized. With regard to the chemical nature of the soy-based,
carbonate-functional component, it was found that the polymeric nature
of C-poly(2-VOES) resulted in very different NIPU properties compared
to analogous cross-linked networks based on CSBO. While the CSBO-based
NIPU networks exhibited lower Young’s moduli and ductile behavior,
the networks based on C-poly(2-VOES) showed significantly higher Young’s
moduli and brittle behavior. In addition, measurements using dynamic
mechanical analysis showed significantly high cross-link densities
for the networks based on C-poly(2-VOES), which can be attributed
to a much higher number of methine carbon atoms per molecule in C-poly(2-VOES)
as compared to CSBO. In addition to the cross-links resulting from
the reaction of the amine groups of the cross-linker with the cyclic
carbonate groups of the soy-based carbonate-functional materials,
these methine carbon atoms serve as cross-links in the NIPU networks.
The higher cross-link densities achieved with the use of C-poly(2-VOES)
explain the thermal and mechanical property differences observed between
networks based on the two different soy-based carbonate-functional
materials. With regard to the influence of the diamines on NIPU network
properties, as expected, increasing the chain length of the diamine
cross-linker decreased cross-link density, which, in general, resulted
in decreases in Young’s moduli and glass transition temperature.