Synthesis of a biobased waterborne polyurethane with epichlorohydrin-modified lignin

A series of lignin-based waterborne polyurethanes (ELWPUs) are prepared using epichlorohydrin-modified lignin (ELG) as the biobased component. The effect of ELG dosage on the performance of the dispersions was studied by particle sizing. The morphology, crystallinity, thermal behavior, water resistance and mechanical properties of the films were investigated as well. The results show that the particle size of ELWPU dispersions increased with the addition of ELG. Furthermore, the ELWPU exhibited noticeable thermal stability, desired mechanical properties and water resistance as the tensile strength of ELWPU film containing 0.25 wt% ELG increased to 40.6 MPa from 15.2 MPa and the water absorption rate decreased from 20.1 to 12.4% compared to the non-modified waterborne polyurethane. The ELG played an important role in improving the properties of the biomass-based materials.