New polyurethane synthesis and characterization from epoxidized soybean oil by ring-opening polyols with thioglycolic acid and thioglycolic acid methyl ester

In this study, polyols of biodegradation type was firstly synthesized from epoxized soybean oil and polyurethanes obtained from epoxy ring opening with chemicals present in two different functional groups. The thioglycolic acid (TGA), glycolic acid (GA) and methyl thioglycolate (MTGA) were used for ring opening reaction and used in polyurethane synthesis. GA having hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups was used for the first time for epoxy ring opening. Bio-derived polyurethanes were obtained by reacting with 4,4'-methylenebis (phenyl isocyanate) (MDI) by TGA (polyol 1), GA (polyol 2) and MTGA (polyol 3). The new compounds obtained were identified by FT-IR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, SEM, XRD, GPC, DSC, TGA, XRD combinations. The molar ratio of the new polyurethanes to OH from NCO was prepared from 1.85 / 1 to 2.12 / 1 and their tensile strengths were measured as flexible to hardness (3.44-39.7 MPa). It has been observed that the polyurethane having the best stretch properties of polyols having the same polyol / MDI ratio results in a polyol having the highest OH functionality. Keywords: Rigid-flexible biobased polyurethane, Ring opening, Bifunctional compounds, Glycolic-thioglycolic acid, Renewable sources, Biobased polyol.