Recent Advances in Functional Polyurethane Chemistry: From Structural Design to Applications

Abstract

Polyurethane has attracted the great attention of scientists because of its lightweight, high toughness, good wear resistance and corrosion resistance. In the past, polyurethane was mainly used in low‐end products because of its single function. With the development of science and technology, ordinary polyurethane has been unable to meet the diverse needs of people. In recent years, scientists have developed a lot of functional polyurethane: self‐healing polyurethane, antifouling polyurethane, antibacterial polyurethane, shape memory polyurethane and electromagnetic shielding polyurethane. Polyurethane with a single function has been reported by many people, while polyurethane with multiple functions has been rarely reported. This review comprehensively reviews the structural design and applications of functional polyurethane. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of chemical grafting functional polyurethane are introduced emphatically. Finally, challenges and future research directions of functional polyurethane are also discussed.

Toward Circular Recycling of Polyurethanes: Depolymerization and Recovery of Isocyanates

“…The crude reaction mixture for PU1 (depolymerized in a separate experiment using toluene to avoid NMR spectrum peak overlap with THF) was analyzed by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy (Figures S3 and S4). Purified MDI and TDI samples also were analyzed by 1 H NMR spectroscopy as shown in Figure S5 (MDI samples: PU1, PU2, CPU1) and Figure S6 (TDI sample: CPU2) with spectra for pure standards shown for reference. The isolated MDI yields (i.e., the gravimetric yields of pure isocyanates recovered after separation from the reaction product mixtures) for PU1 and PU2 were ∼23% and ∼20% of the theoretical maximum values, respectively (Table 2).…”

Self‐healing polyurethane based on a substance supplement and dynamic chemistry: Repair mechanisms and applications

“…Polyurethane (PU) is formed by the exothermic reaction of addition polymerization of isocyanate and polyol. 1 As a kind of polymer material, it is well suited to the concept of "designing materials based on performance requirements" in modern society, and makes full use of the advantages of highly adjustable composition, structure and overall performance. 2 Specifically, the main chain of PU consists of two parts: the soft segment is mainly composed of macromolecules such as polyol or polyamine, which provides flexibility and elasticity; the hard segment is mainly composed of diisocyanate and small molecule chain extenders, which have high rigidity and strength.…”

“…Polyurethane (PU) is formed by the exothermic reaction of addition polymerization of isocyanate and polyol 1 . As a kind of polymer material, it is well suited to the concept of “designing materials based on performance requirements” in modern society, and makes full use of the advantages of highly adjustable composition, structure and overall performance 2 .…”

Catalyst-Free Synthesis of Betulin-Based Polyurethane Elastomers with Outstanding Mechanical Properties and Solvent Resistance

“…3 Moreover, recent research has shown that PU elastomers can be designed to exhibit shape memory behavior, electrical conductivity, or dielectric properties, thus presenting an even greater range of potential applications. 4 Currently, polyol raw materials for producing PUs are largely dependent on petroleum resources. Due to the gradual shortage of fossil fuel resources and the increasing awareness of environmental impact and resource conservation, using sustainable biomass polyols to prepare PU materials has become a hot research field.…”

“…In particular, PU elastomers have a combination of excellent mechanical, physical, and chemical properties along with exceptional biocompatibility. , Therefore, these elastomeric systems are used in a diverse range of indoor, outdoor, underwater, and biomedical applications . Moreover, recent research has shown that PU elastomers can be designed to exhibit shape memory behavior, electrical conductivity, or dielectric properties, thus presenting an even greater range of potential applications …”