Bio-Based Polyurethanes: Synthesis to Advanced Application

The gradually increasing energy and environmental crisis has significantly promoted the development and application of bio-based polymers prepared partially or fully from renewable resources. Since its discovery, polyurethane (PU) materials have attracted wide attention in many application fields, including transportation, building, electronic equipment, and so on, of which the global market size was valued at $75.19 billion in 2022. The use of PU products, such as foam, coating, and elastomer, has significantly improved quality of life and convenience. However, the mass production and consumption of polyurethane products has caused a huge challenge for energy and the environment. More and more researchers have begun to develop bio-based polyurethanes, further decreasing the huge energy consumption from PU manufacturing and reducing the environmental hazards of PU’s waste. In this review, the authors first discuss the constitutes and product category of biomass PU. The biomass components mainly include polyols (diols) and isocyanates. Meanwhile, the product types and corresponding key performances of bio-based PU are compared with traditional PU products, such as thermal insulation of foam and adhesiveness of coating. The degradation mechanism of PU materials in the environment will also be discussed. Notably, the future and outlook of biomass PU is demonstrated through biobased composition, preparation method, degradability, cost, and performance evaluation.