Plant Oil-Based Waterborne Polyurethanes: A Brief Review

The Prospering of Macromolecular Materials Based on Plant Oils within the Blooming Field of Polymers from Renewable Resources

“…In fact, the preparation of polyurethanes from vegetable oils is a subject that has attracted further attention, since its first report in the literature in the early 1990s [ 59 ], related to the preparation of polyurethane foams by mixing waste oil and polypropylene glycol with diphenylmethane diisocyanate, and opened the way to hundreds of other publications belonging to the same field. Interesting and thorough monographs tackling the most relevant advances were recently published, calling upon aspects of synthesis, mechanical and thermal properties of (i) polyurethanes from seed oil-based polyols [ 60 ], (ii) dimer fatty acid-based polyols [ 61 ], (iii) conductive polyurethanes based on castor oil-based polyols and carbon fiber powder [ 62 ], (iv) opportunities and challenges of bio-based polyurethanes with flame retardancy [ 63 ] and (v) plant oil-based waterborne polyurethanes [ 9 ], viz. ionic and non-ionic polyurethane dispersions prepared in aqueous media.…”

“…A full understanding of their chemical structure and their reactivity has widened the range of applications of these valuable raw materials during the second half of the 20th century, meeting the polymer revolution that occurred simultaneously. Vegetable oils and their derivatives are the protagonists for the development of polymers from biomass [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Indeed, an exponential behavior is observed when both the number of scientific publications using the keywords “polymers” and “vegetable oils” and their corresponding citations are plotted as a function of time considering only the last two decades ( Figure 1 ; Figure 2 ), which is a convincing demonstration that the subject is far from being fully exploited.…”

The Prospering of Macromolecular Materials Based on Plant Oils within the Blooming Field of Polymers from Renewable Resources

“…In fact, the preparation of polyurethanes from vegetable oils is a subject that deserves attention, since its first report in the literature in the early 1990s [26], related to the preparation of polyurethane foams by mixing waste oil and polypropylene glycol with diphenylmethane diisocyanate, opened the way to hundreds of other publications belonging to the same field. Interesting and thorough monographs tackling the most relevant advances were recently published, calling upon aspects of synthesis, mechanical and thermal properties of polyurethanes from seed oil-based polyols [27], opportunities and challenges of bio-based polyurethanes with flame retardancy [28], as well as plant oil-based waterborne polyurethanes [8], viz. ionic and non-ionic polyurethane dispersions prepared in aqueous media.…”

“…Monomers prepared from vegetable biomass can produce versatile polymers, and many of them are based on consolidated technologies or on those under advanced development, which is the case of biobased ethylene, ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid [4]. Vegetable oils and their derivatives are protagonists for the development of polymers from biomass [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Indeed, an exponential behavior is observed when both the number of scientific publications using the keywords "polymers" and "vegetable oils" and their corresponding citations are plotted as a function of time considering only the last two decades (Figures 1 and 2), which is a convincing demonstration that the subject is far from being fully exploited.…”

Furfuryl alcohol/tung oil matrix-based composites reinforced with bacterial cellulose fibres

“…To pursue novel polymers from vegetable oils, different approaches are possible, including, among others, the breakdown of triglycerides by transesterification processes and the chemical modification of the fatty acids’ double bonds by means of metathesis, epoxidation and click reactions. The various possibilities in this regard lead to the production of macromolecular materials with interesting properties and applications, such as thermosets, linear polyesters, polyurethanes, polyamides, and their blends and composites (Conti Silva et al 2021 ; Quirino et al 2021 ; Di Mauro et al 2021 ; Mucci et al 2020 ; Chakraborty and Chatterjee 2020 ; Lomège et al 2019 ). Indeed, one can define some crude vegetable oils as natural oligomers, and film coatings based exclusively on unsaturated triglycerides have been used by man for millennia.…”