Preparation and Characterization of Tung Oil Monoglyceride Modified Waterborne Polyurethane

Abstract

Waterborne polyurethane (WPU) emulsions were prepared with Tung oil monoglyceride (TOM) as modifier via the acetone process. The water absorption, emulsion particle size, thermal and mechanical property of the Modified WPU were investigated. The experimental results show that the modified WPU emulsion particle size increases along with the growth of weight content of TOM. Compared with the unmodified WPU emulsion film, water absorption of the modified WPU emulsion film has decreased significantly, indicating that water resistance is remarkably improved after the modification. Tensile test shows that the tensile strength of the modified WPU emulsion film increases with the content of TOM while the reverse is true for the elongation at break. The characteristic thermo-decomposition temperatures of WPU have been increased notably after modification by the introduction of TOM which indicates that the heat resistance has been improved after modification.