From Waste to Coatings: Acidolysis of Polyurethane Elastomers with Itaconic Acid for Polyurethane Coating
摘要
This study explored the chemical recycling of polyurethane (PU) elastomers via acidolysis using itaconic acid and dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent without the use of glycol. The depolymerization process was optimized by varying the reaction parameters, and the resulting oligomers were analyzed using end-group analysis. PU coatings were formulated using recovered oligomers and isocyanates derived from isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), and toluene diisocyanate (TDI). Analytical techniques including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were used for characterization. TDI based coatings exhibited superior optical, mechanical, chemical, thermal, and anticorrosive performance over the HDI and IPDIbased coatings. This study successfully showcased a facile method for recycling of PU waste along with PU coating formulations from 100% recycled oligomers, showcasing the use of recycled polyols in high performance applications.