Effect of the Addition of Biobased Polyols on the Thermal Stability and Flame Retardancy of Polyurethane and Poly(urea)urethane Elastomers

Abstract

Due to the current trends in sustainable development and the reduction in the use of fossil fuels (Green Deal strategy and the circular economy), and thus, the increased interest of the polyurethane industry in polyols derived from renewable sources, it is important to study the impact of these polyols on the flammability of new bioelastomers. The goal of this study was to check the influence of biobased polyols, such as tall oil (TO)-based polyols, soybean oil (SO)-based polyol, and rapeseed oil (RO)-based polyol, on the reduction in the burning and fume emissions of polyurethane and poly(urea)urethane elastomers (EPURs and EPUURs). The thermal stability of these materials was tested using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In turn, the flame retardancy and smoke emissions were checked using a cone calorimetry test. The released gases were identified using TGA coupled with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy (TGA/FT-IR). Moreover, the morphological and structural characteristics of the char residues were characterized using FT-IR and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The obtained data were compared to the results received for elastomers produced with petroleum substrates. The addition of biobased polyols led to a reduction in the burning as a result of the formation of char, especially RO polyol. Moreover, the TO and RO polyols increased the thermal stability of the elastomers.

Nanocomposites Based on Waterborne Polyurethane Matrix and Fe3O4 Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Characterization

“…Similar observations were made by other authors in their studies of thermal degradation in air of PUs. [50] As expected, the final char increases with the content of MNP (Figure 5a).…”

New Segmented Poly(Thiourethane-Urethane)s Based on Poly(ε-Caprolactone)Diol Soft Segment: Synthesis and Characterization

“…Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) are typically produced by reacting diisocyanates with both oligomeric and short-chain diols to form (A-B) n -type block copolymers [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. One block of the polymer chain is referred to as the soft segment (SS), while the other block is referred to as the hard segment (HS) [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]. The soft segments give polyurethanes softness, flexibility, long elongation at break and low temperature resistance, while the hard segments have a particular influence on the modulus of elasticity, hardness and tear strength.…”

“…The soft segments give polyurethanes softness, flexibility, long elongation at break and low temperature resistance, while the hard segments have a particular influence on the modulus of elasticity, hardness and tear strength. Generally, the soft and hard segments undergo microphase separation due to thermodynamic incompatibility resulting in materials with excellent mechanical properties [ 2 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]. In conventional TPUs hard segments are built from short-chain diols, mostly butane-1,4-diol (BD) and diisocyanates, such as 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate (HMDI) [ 9 , 10 ] and hexane-1,6-diyl diisocyanate [ 9 ].…”

Preparation of Nonlethal Projectiles by Polyurethane Foam with the Dynamic and Microscopic Characterization for Risk Assessment and Management

“… 30 The increased number of structural elements controls the movement of polymer chains among themselves, which leads to a rise in the modulus of elasticity. 31 The storage modulus G ′ increased throughout a wide temperature range when fillers were added to polyols. 32 The results of the dynamic mechanical analysis with a device SDTA861e (DMA) are shown in Figure S2 .…”