The researchers developed an environmentally friendly thermoplastic polyurethane with a biocarbon content of up to 97%.

The research team led by Lim Sang-gyu, Senior Researcher in DGIST's Energy Polymerization Research Division, has developed an environmentally friendly thermoplastic polyurethane with a biogenic carbon content of up to 97%, which is a remarkable milestone.

Developed in collaboration with Jung Jae-hoon from the new product development team at the Korea Textile Development Research Institute (KTDI) and Jeon Cho-hyun from the new business planning team, this breakthrough technology is a sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum-based thermoplastic polyurethanes and therefore significant.

Thermoplastic polyurethane is an extraordinary material known for its excellent mechanical properties, including abrasion resistance, resilience, tensile strength, and tear strength. Its versatility makes it widely used in various life and industrial fields, such as industrial panels, screen protectors, luggage, footwear, artificial leather, and clothing materials.

Currently, most thermoplastic polyurethanes are synthesized using petroleum-based polyols, isocyanates and diols. Despite the excellent properties of petroleum-based raw materials, their extraction, manufacturing, use and disposal processes cause environmental pollution. Therefore, the world is striving to explore environmentally friendly alternatives based on biomass materials. However, developing bio-based products that match the properties of conventional thermoplastic polyurethanes presents significant challenges.

In an excellent collaboration with KTDI, Lim Sang-gyu's research team made a major breakthrough by developing an environmentally friendly thermoplastic polyurethane. To synthesize this eco-friendly material, they utilized bio-based polyester polyols and butylene glycols, moving away from traditional petroleum-based materials.

This biomass-based thermoplastic polyurethane offers superior properties, including up to 97% biochar content, a weight-average molecular weight of approximately 120,000 g/mol, a tensile strength of 20 MPa and a tensile elongation of 587.2%.

Notably, these properties are comparable to existing petroleum-based thermoplastic polyurethanes, making the developed material a versatile candidate for a wide range of applications in everyday life and industries. This environmentally friendly thermoplastic polyurethane is expected to be used in industrial sheets, screen protectors, mobile phone cases, footwear, artificial leather and clothing materials.
Researcher Lim Sang-gyu emphasizes: "To distinguish their study from existing studies on environmentally friendly thermoplastic polyurethanes, they carefully evaluated the chemical, thermal and mechanical properties of bio-based aliphatic isocyanates and changed their content proportions. These properties were then compared to those of petroleum-based thermoplastic polyurethanes. "

He is optimistic that the bio-based thermoplastic polyurethanes developed through their research will be commercialized and widely used, especially in various fields using highly functional fiber materials.