Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomers with Aliphatic Hard Segments Based on Plant-Oil-Derived Long-Chain Diisocyanates

Novel plant-oil-derived long-chain (C-19 and C-23) ,-diisocyanates, optionally in combination with the corresponding long-chain diols, provide entirely aliphatic hard segments in segmented thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPUs), with carbohydrate-based poly(trimethylene glycol) soft segments. Compared to materials based on a mid-chain monomer analog, phase separation is higher due to an increased flexibility of the aliphatic segments. Although melting points are slightly lower than for HDPE, the long-chain TPU's solid-state structure is still dominated by hydrogen-bonding.