Partially Biobased Polyurethanes With Reversibly Crosslinkable Furan Units Toward Recyclable Thermosetting Textile FibresShow others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: Chemistry - A European Journal, ISSN 0947-6539, E-ISSN 1521-3765Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Molecular design combining biobased feedstocks, fiber processability, and reversible crosslinking is important for sustainable textiles. Herein, we report a new molecular design and synthetic strategy for partially biobased polyurethanes with tuneable chemical composition and properties, which show potential for the development of reversibly crosslinked textile fibers with enhanced recyclability. A lignin-derived new aromatic monomer was synthesized as the rigid building block, which could be copolymerized with flexible tetraethylene glycol and diisocyanates to achieve the balanced structural rigidity needed for fiber design. Moreover, a sugar-based 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan was also incorporated in the copolymerization, which offers enhanced structural rigidity and enables thermally induced crosslinking/decrosslinking based on Diels-Alder chemistry. The resulting polyurethanes exhibited moderate to high molecular weights (10–280 kDa) and tuneable glass transition temperatures (31–124°C). Reversible crosslinking/decrosslinking of the obtained polymers could be conveniently carried out and repeated at least five cycles without significant property deterioration. Selected polymers were processed into noncrosslinked and crosslinked fibers by wet spinning at different draw ratios. The spinnability, thermal properties, and fiber mechanical responses were affected by molecular composition and processing conditions. These results demonstrate that the molecular design strategy successfully introduces thermally reversible crosslinks into partially biobased polyurethanes with potential for fiber applications
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Wiley , 2026.
Keywords [en]
biobased polymers, fibers, polyurethanes, recycling, textiles
National Category
Polymer Chemistry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-82501DOI: 10.1002/chem.71541PubMedID: 42573131Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105046955767OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-82501DiVA, id: diva2:2093970
Note
Funding text: This work was financially supported by the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (Formas, No. 2021\u201001107, 2025\u201001488, 2025\u201001285), Mistra Foundation (the \u201CSTEPS\u201D project, No. 2016/1489), Carl\u2010Trygger Foundation (No. 18:435), Helge Ax:son Johnsons Foundation (F25\u20100505, F25\u20100504), the \u00C5forsk Foundation (No. 24\u2013511) and the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund.
Funding details: Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund; Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse, (F25‐0504, F25‐0505); Carl Tryggers Stiftelse för Vetenskaplig Forskning, (18:435); Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, (2021‐01107, 2025‐01285, 2025‐01488); Stiftelsen Åforsk, (24–511); Mistra Foundation, (2016/1489)
2026-08-202026-08-202026-08-20Bibliographically approved