Thermoplastic polyurethanes derived from petrochemical or renewable resources: A comprehensive review

Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) materials are obtained by the reaction of polyol (ether‐, ester‐, and carbonate‐based diols with average molecular weight in the range from 1,000 to 3,000 g/mol) with aliphatic or aromatic diisocyanates. Synthesized materials consist of the hard and soft segments which are separated in different level. All mechanical and thermal properties of TPUs depend on the chemical structure of used monomers, volume fraction, and interaction between the hard and soft segments. Presented work is the review of the synthesis and the structure–properties relationship analysis in the case of TPU. The most popular reactants used for the production of the TPUs have petrochemical‐based origin. A new alternative route in the area of TPUs synthesis is using of plant oils based polyols and diols and also partially natural diisocyanates. A comprehensive discussion provided for the chemical and physical characteristics of potential novel polyurethane monomers derived from natural resources used at synthesis of TPUs is presented. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:E14–E35, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers