Bio-based cationic waterborne polyurethanes dispersions prepared from different vegetable oils

Abstract

In this study, a series of bio-based polyols were prepared from olive, castor, corn, canola, rice bran, grape seed and linseed oil by thiol-ene photo-click reaction. The relationship between carbon-carbon double bonds in the backbone of vegetable oil fatty acid chains and the functionalities of the polyols was elucidated. The advantage and disadvantage between thiol-ene photo-click reaction and traditional methods for vegetable oil based polyols are summarized and compared. These bio-based polyols were used to prepare cationic waterborne polyurethane dispersions.With the increase of the vegetable oil based polyols’ hydroxyl values, the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, Tg, water contact angle of the waterborne polyurethane films increase from 1 to 11 MPa, 10 to 395 MPa, 23 to 50 °C and 38˚ to 46˚, respectively, but the elongation at break and thermal stability of them decrease. Thiol-ene photo-click reaction offers a bio-based platform to create a variety of waterborne polyurethanes that promises economic and environmental benefits.