The recent advent of C18 diacid (i.e. 1,18-octadecanedioic acid) commercialization via natural oil metathesis provides a viable route to investigate a novel class of C18-based polyester polyols to address growing market demands for more sustainable polyurethane products. This presentation will highlight the unique performance attributes of C18 polyols compared to traditional polyesters, polyethers, and polycarbonate polyol reference materials. Depending on the structure of the diol comonomer, C18 polyols were designed with a broad range of physical properties from semi-crystalline solids that melt between 60 and 85°C to sub-ambient melting liquids with viscosities considerably lower than polycarbonates. Remarkably, polyurethanes constructed from C18 polyols overcome the Achilles’ heel of traditional polyester-based systems with hydrolytic stabilities comparable to those designed from polyether and polycarbonate polyols. Thermoplastic polyurethanes from C18 polyols exhibited substantially improved tear strengths over reference systems due to their soft segment crystallinities that displayed narrow melt transitions ranging from 35 to 75°C. These tunable thermal properties position C18 polyols as potentially valuable components of next-generation polyurethane hot melt adhesives and shape-memory materials. Furthermore, C18-based polyurethanes displayed excellent solvent resistance which is important for coatings applications. Low viscosities of C18 polyols are certain to enable improved processability of polyurethane formulations at high solids and reduced VOCs. Overall, C18 polyols are under development as specialty hydrophobic building blocks that aim to offer polyurethane providers differentiated performance at high renewable carbon content.

Performance benefits driven by structure-property relationships: Fatty acid-derived polyester polyols

254th National Meeting (2017)

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