Production of non-isocyanate polyurethanes acrylate from different renewable feedstocks and CO2 for additive manufacturing

• Grant number: 24/14279-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2030
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Gilbert Bannach
• Grantee: Gabriel Iago dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The increasing demand for polymeric materials, coupled with the depletion of non-renewable resources used in their production, drives the search for sustainable alternatives. Thus, polymers that are widely used in various sectors, such as polyurethanes manufactured mainly by the reaction between petroleum-derived polyols and isocyanates (considered toxic), can be developed using less harmful and renewable compounds. In this case, one alternative is the reaction between cyclic carbonates and amines, which generate non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPU), which can subsequently have acrylic groups incorporated into their chains and then polymerized via light in the presence of a photoinitiator. Although these materials have high potential for application in technological sectors such as 3D printing, there is little literature on this subject and when found, they generally use cyclic carbonates from finite sources or isocyanates. Therefore, the present work aims to incorporate cyclic carbonates into the structure of renewable compounds such as triglycerides, terpenes/terpenoids, and polyphenols through the reaction with CO2 and subsequently produce non-isocyanate polyurethanes acrylate (NIPUA) by reacting these compounds with monoamines and methacrylic anhydride. The generated monomers will be photopolymerized, in the presence of a photoinitiator, with different radiation sources, aiming to investigate the feasibility for subsequent application in 3D printing with photocuring, which will contribute to the creation of a more sustainable production process with a lower environmental impact in additive manufacturing. Precursors and produced materials will be characterized by thermoanalytical, spectroscopic, and titrimetric techniques.