Issue 44, 2013

Development of lignin-based polyurethane thermoplastics

Abstract

Here we report utilizing a tailored feedstock to synthesize mechanically robust thermoplastic polyurethanes at very high lignin contents (65–75 wt%). The molecular weight and glass transition temperature (Tg) of lignin were altered through cross-linking with formaldehyde. The cross-linked lignin was coupled with diisocyanate-based telechelic polybutadiene as a network-forming soft segment. The appearance of two Tg's, around −35 and 154 °C, for the polyurethanes indicates the existence of two-phase morphology, a characteristic of thermoplastic copolymers. A calculated Flory–Huggins interaction parameter of 7.71 also suggests phase immiscibility in the synthesized lignin polyurethanes. An increase in lignin loading increased the modulus, and an increase in crosslink-density increased the modulus in the rubbery plateau region of the thermoplastic. This path for synthesis of novel lignin-based polyurethane thermoplastics provides a design tool for high performance lignin-based biopolymers.

Graphical abstract: Development of lignin-based polyurethane thermoplastics

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Aug 2013
Accepted
12 Sep 2013
First published
12 Sep 2013

RSC Adv., 2013,3, 21832-21840

Development of lignin-based polyurethane thermoplastics

T. Saito, J. H. Perkins, D. C. Jackson, N. E. Trammel, M. A. Hunt and A. K. Naskar, RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 21832 DOI: 10.1039/C3RA44794D

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