Development of High Performance Polyurethane Elastomers Using Vanillin-Based Green Polyol Chain Extender Originating from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Vanillin can be obtained from waste of lignocellulosic bioresources with various methods.(1-3) Such vanillin was used as chain extender [divanillin-ethanol amine conjugate (DV-EA)] after its dimerization and further modification with ethanolamine in the synthesis of biobased polyurethane, thereby increasing wt % of biocontents in the final polymer. 1,4-Butanediol often used as a general chain extender in polyurethane synthesis was replaced partially with DV-EA. The generated polyurethane hard segment consists of DV-EA polyol and MDI (methylene diisocyanate) units or 1,4-butanediol and MDI units, respectively. The properties of the DV-EA-based polyurethane were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), and universal testing machine (UTM). The results showed that this advanced polyurethane has 128% of Young's modulus and 147% of increased strain compared to those of control, while its strength and thermal stability were maintained. It is expected that this new biobased tetraol may inspire a new perspective of vanillin application in biobased polyurethane synthesis.