The fabrication of thermoplastic polyurethane/leather powder composite film with excellent mechanical property

The reuse of leather waste materials has become a global challenge due to the increase of leather products. Herein, we recycled the leather waste using a cost-effective mechanical method. The leather-like composites with good mechanical properties were prepared by combining thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with leather powder (LP) from leather waste. The morphologies, composition, thermal performance, and mechanical properties of the composite film were investigated. The results of mechanical properties showed that the toughness of TPU/LP composite film with 20% LP using binary solvents (N,N-Dimethylformamide and toluene) was 1717.6% higher than that of TPU/LP composite film with 20% LP using the traditional method. Additionally, the TPU/LP composite film prepared by binary solvents exhibited good solvent resistance, which may be potentially used in practical applications.

Automated summary

Recycling leather waste using a cost-effective mechanical method, leather-like composites with good mechanical properties were prepared by combining TPU with LP from leather waste. The use of binary solvents in preparing the composite film resulted in significantly higher toughness and excellent solvent resistance, showing potential for practical applications.