Synthesis and analysis of lactose polyurethanes and their semi-interpenetrating polymer networks

Abstract

In view of growing public awareness of environmental pollution, plastic waste, and microplastics, agro-based materials are increasingly used to replace raw materials derived from fossil feedstocks in order to take advantage of their sustainability, eco-friendliness, better recyclability, and lack of toxicity. One of our focal areas is lactose, which is the natural disaccharide found in milk; it is inexpensive and widely available. In this work, we synthesized polyurethanes from lactose and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI), using both conventional heat and microwave. Microwave was found to reduce the reaction time and save energy relative to conventional heat. Moreover, semi-interpenetrating polymer networks were made with a second polymer {e.g., poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) and poly(lactic acid)} in order to impart additional properties to the lactose-based polyurethanes. The resulting polymers were characterized with appropriate analyses.

Keywords:

• Lactose
• poly(lactic acid)
• poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)
• polyurethane
• semi-interpenetrating polymer network

Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to Karl Vermillion for the NMR data and Jason Adkins for the thermal analysis data. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Mention of trade names or commercial products is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by USDA. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no financial or non-financial competing interests.