Preparation and properties of lignin-based polyurethane materials

In this paper, lignin-based polyurethane (LPU) films were successfully prepared by tape casting using modified alkaline lignin instead of partial polycarbonate diol (PCDL) in reaction with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), with diethylene glycol (DEG) as chain extender and dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) as catalyst. The factors influencing the hydroxylation modification of alkali lignin were discussed, and the optimal reaction conditions were determined: reaction temperature of 50 °C, reaction time of 60 min, hydrogen peroxide to lignin mass ratio of 1.2:1, and iron hydroxide to alkali lignin mass ratio of 2 %. The lignin-based polyurethane films with different R values were also prepared by changing the ratio of isocyanate groups to hydroxyl groups (R-value), and the effects of different R values on the polyurethane properties were investigated. It was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), mechanical property tests, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), moisture and oxygen permeability property tests, and UV spectroscopy tests. The results show that changing the R-value can improve the mechanical properties, thermal stability, barrier properties, and UV shielding properties of polyurethane materials. When the R-value is 1.8, the lignin-based polyurethane film material has the best performance.