Lignocellulosic biomass-derived polyurethane elastomer with high toughness and excellent crack tolerance

Abstract

Polyurethane (PU) elastomers play an indispensable role in our society due to their unique properties. The synthesis of high-performance PU elastomers from biomass is important to meet the needs of sustainable development. In the current study, liquified waste banana pseudo-stems are utilized as chain extenders for the synthesis of PU elastomers, and the obtained materials exhibit desirable tensile strength (up to ~30 MPa), excellent toughness (~389.7 MJ m−3) and exceptionally high fracture energy (~666.9 kJ m−2). The extraordinary mechanical properties primarily stem from the strong energy dissipation of hydrogen bonds, microphase separation, and strain-induced crystallization. We believe that the current work can offer a new protocol for the preparation of sustainable polymers and the efficient utilization of waste natural resources.