Polyurethane (PU) is a game-changing polymer used in a variety of industries, from the cushioning in your mattress to the protective coatings on vehicles. But what exactly is polyurethane, and why is it important? In this blog post, we’ll explore the basics of conventional polyurethane—how it's made, its incredible versatility, why it is important in modern society and the crucial role it plays in everyday products. We’ll delve into how its various forms can pose environmental damage due to reliance on petrochemicals and a group of chemicals called isocyanates. Afterwards, we would like to introduce you to Polaris™ - our biobased and isocyanate free alternative.
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Image Credits: Polyurethane Synthesis
Conventional polyurethane (PU) is a versatile polymer used in numerous applications, including foams, coatings, adhesives, elastomers, and more. It is formed by the reaction of two chemicals: polyols and isocyanates. By choosing the right combination of polyols and isocyanates, and throwing in additives such as plasticizers and catalysts it is possible to make the final product flexible and bendy or hard and strong.
Polyols are an organic molecule containing at least two hydroxyl (-OH) groups. Which is an Oxygen (O) bonded to a Hydrogen (H). Essentially, this is an alcohol with more than one alcohol functional groups. You may have heard of things like sorbitol or xylitol in food, these are types of polyols.
Isocyanates are a group of organic compounds that contain the functional group (N=C=O). This means a Nitrogen (N) double bonded to a Carbon (C), double bonded to an Oxygen (O). The symbol between the N and C and C and O is not an equals signbut rather 2 lines, representing the double bond.
The two components above come together to form a variety of beneficial properties. Depending on their chemical structure, they can be used to make different forms of plastics like thermoplastics and thermosets.
Thermoplastic PU can be melted or dissolved and reshaped.
Thermoset PU hardens once set, and cannot be melted, dissolved, or reshaped. The opposite to thermoplastic.
Conventional polyurethanes has many properties, including high durability, versatility and adhesion. Durability gives PU excellent resistance to wear, abrasion, and chemicals. PU can be rigid or flexible as well, so has versatile use in products ranging from foam mattresses to hard protective coatings, while adhesion means it can form strong bonding with things like metal, wood, fabric, and plastic.
Polyurethane comes in many forms, each serving different purposes. Formulating each PU type has taken decades of R&D and investment across industries such as military, chemicals, textiles, and construction. Click here to check out our blog post on the timeline of polyurethane development.
Here's a breakdown:
There are 3 key key challenges associated with conventional polyurethane:
We understand the urgent need to replace petrochemicals in polyurethane and find alternatives to isocyanate based materials. Enter Polaris™ - our non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) solution.
Polaris utilizes biobased cyclic carbonates and amines and contains no isocyanates. Biobased cyclic carbonates come from renewable sources like plant-based oils and incorporate CO2 during the production process are linked without isocyanates, using less toxic chemistry. Just like traditional polyurethane, we can mix different ingredients in different ways to get different properties.
However, it has taken decades of research to develop and perfect the different polyurethanes made from petrochemicals we have today. Just like traditional polyurethane, each of our biobased formulations requires development to reach perfection. To tackle this, we are using AI to fast track our development because the problem is too urgent to wait for decades of development.
Currently, we are scaling our production capabilities and working with key partners to commercialize Polaris™ as a coating for the textile and fashion industry.
Our mission is to transform the polyurethane industry by reducing petroleum-based ingredients and replacing them with less harmful alternatives without compromising performance. We are also exploring expansion into new applications, such as injection molding and water-based dispersions. If you share our vision for biobased polyurethane opportunities, in fashion or other sectors, we encourage you to contact us.
