Polyurethanes are among the most widespread polymer technologies and account for about 5% of all plastics produced worldwide. This review covers the technology of polyurethane building block production and physical properties, the fundamental science underlying reactivity and polymer properties and industrial applications. Specifically covered are isocyanates, polyols, elastomers, foams, coatings, adhesives, thermoplastics, recycling, and health and environmental issues. Industrial size, participants, and trends are also reviewed.

The hydroformylation of seed oil based fatty acid methyl esters leads to aldehyde intermediates that can be hydrogenated to give novel seed oil based monomers. In this study, the seed oil based monomers were polymerized with low molecular weight diols to produce novel aliphatic polyester polyols with very low viscosities. The seed oil polyester polyols provide environmentally friendly (green) coating formulations with low volatile organic compound emissions which lead to coatings with superior physical properties, such as exceptional hydrolytic resistance and flexibility. From these polyester polyols, waterborne polyurethane dispersions were also developed with excellent stability resulting in coatings with superior physical properties (i.e., good toughness and abrasion resistance), and exceptional hydrolytic and acid resistance.