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Biodegradable Polyurethane Derived from Hydroxylated Polylactide with Superior Mechanical Properties
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Researchers synthesized biodegradable polyurethane using polylactide polyols derived from lactide, finding that increasing the polylactide content dramatically improved tensile stress (from 5 to 37 MPa), elongation, and toughness, while the resulting films fully degraded to CO2 and water within 6 months in soil.
Developing biodegradable polyurethane (PU) materials as an alternative to non-degradable petroleum-based PU is a crucial and challenging task. This study utilized lactide as the starting material to synthesize polylactide polyols (PLA-OH). PLA-based polyurethanes (PLA-PUs) were successfully synthesized by introducing PLA-OH into the PU molecular chain. A higher content of PLA-OH in the soft segments resulted in a substantial improvement in the mechanical attributes of the PLA-PUs. This study found that the addition of PLA-OH content significantly improved the tensile stress of the PU from 5.35 MPa to 37.15 MPa and increased the maximum elongation to 820.8%. Additionally, the modulus and toughness of the resulting PLA-PU were also significantly improved with increasing PLA-OH content. Specifically, the PLA-PU with 40% PLA-OH exhibited a high modulus of 33.45 MPa and a toughness of 147.18 MJ m-3. PLA-PU films can be degraded to carbon dioxide and water after 6 months in the soil. This highlights the potential of synthesizing PLA-PU using biomass-renewable polylactide, which is important in green and sustainable chemistry.
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Novel Bio‐Based Polyurethane Elastomers Customizable for Orthopedic Devices: Toughness, Rapid Degradability, and Safety
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Researchers synthesized novel bio-based polyurethane elastomers achieving 82% enzymatic degradation in 20 days and 95.5% compost degradation in 90 days, with mechanical properties comparable to petroleum-based elastomers and confirmed non-biotoxicity. Rapidly biodegradable polymers with strong mechanical performance are highly significant for microplastic pollution reduction, as they could replace persistent synthetic polymers that fragment into long-lived microplastic particles.
Melt-blended PLA/curcumin-cross-linked polyurethane film for enhanced UV-shielding ability
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A biomass film was developed by melt-blending polylactic acid (PLA) with curcumin-crosslinked castor oil-based polyurethane, producing a material with strong UV-shielding ability and enhanced mechanical properties. The fully bio-based film is proposed as a sustainable plastic replacement for food packaging applications.
Properties and application of PLA/mung bean starch composites: Effect of the soft segment molecular weight of PCL-based polyurethane prepolymer
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Researchers synthesized polycaprolactone-based polyurethane prepolymers as compatibilizers for PLA/mung bean starch biocomposites, finding that lower-molecular-weight prepolymers produced stronger chemical cross-linking at the polymer interface, yielding a 27% increase in tensile strength and 163% improvement in elongation at break.
High-performance biodegradable poly(lactic acid) composites with xylan and lignin copolymer
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Researchers developed high-performance biodegradable poly(lactic acid) composites by incorporating xylan and lignin derived from lignocellulosic biomass, improving PLA mechanical properties and addressing its brittleness limitations while maintaining biodegradability as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics.
Kraft Lignin-Based Polyurethane with GVL: A Sustainable Coating Alternative for Recycled Linerboard
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Bio-based polyurethane coatings synthesized from kraft lignin and γ-valerolactone were successfully applied to recycled linerboard, significantly improving water and oil resistance while maintaining mechanical strength, offering a petroleum-free alternative for food packaging. This is relevant to microplastic pollution research as conventional petroleum-based packaging coatings are a source of microplastic contamination, and bio-based alternatives could reduce plastic shedding into food and wastewater.
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