Water-Induced Self-Blown Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Foams

For 80 years, polyisocyanates and polyols were central building blocks for the industrial fabrication of polyurethane (PU) foams. By their partial hydrolysis, isocyanates release CO2 that expands the PU network. Substituting this toxic isocyanate-based chemistry by a more sustainable variant-that in situ forms CO2 by hydrolysis of a comonomer-is urgently needed for producing greener cellular materials. Herein, we report a facile, up-scalable process, potentially compatible to existing infrastructures, to rapidly prepare water-induced self-blown non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) foams. We show that formulations composed of poly(cyclic carbonate)s and polyamines furnish rigid or flexible NIPU foams by partial hydrolysis of cyclic carbonates in the presence of a catalyst. By utilizing readily available low cost starting materials, this simple but robust process gives access to greener PU foams, expectedly responding to the sustainability demands of many sectors.

Automated summary

This article reports a simple and scalable process for preparing non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) foams. The process replaces the previous use of toxic isocyanate-based chemistry with a more sustainable variant that forms CO2 through the hydrolysis of a comonomer. The process allows for the production of greener polyurethane foams using readily available low-cost starting materials.