Structure-property relationships in solvent free adhesives derived from castor oil

A method to prepare solvent free castor oil (CO) based polyurethane (PU) adhesives with different ratios of CO and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) has been developed and the relationships between the microstructure and mechanical properties investigated. Solvent free castor oil-based PU adhesives were synthesized by promoting the reaction between castor oil and HMDI, at room conditions, and by varying the CO/HMDI weight ratio in the range 1:0.032-1:0.32 wt%. The curing of these adhesives did not require any external stimuli such as heat or irradiation treatment and once cured at room temperature they were stable up to 140 degrees C and water-resistant. A multi-technique approach was used to characterize so-obtained adhesives. The adhesion energy in metal metal contact was evaluated as a function of the debonding velocity (V-d) through tack experiments. The mechanical properties were influenced by the -NCO/-OH ratio, which varies the crosslinking density in the adhesives. Moreover, the structure mechanical property relationship was explored and the inter-correlation between the storage modulus (G'), adhesion energy (E-ad) and correlation length (xi) detailed, with both G', E-ad increasing while xi decreased. These solvent-free bio-based adhesives showed capability to adhere different substrates such as wood, paper, textile, and metal, which makes them promising candidates in different industrial and commercial applications.