Waterborne Polyurethane (WPU) is a new type of PU system where water is used as a solvent or dispersion medium. With increasingly strict environmental regulations and heightened environmental awareness in recent years, WPU has garnered widespread attention and research as an eco-friendly material.
Environmental friendliness: In WPU, water is combined instead of organic solven, thus reducing the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and meeting environmental requirements.
Weather resistance: WPU exhibits good weather resistance, maintaining stable performance under different climatic conditions.
Flexibility: WPU coatings demonstrate high flexibility, resisting external stress and reducing cracking and peeling.
Abrasion resistance: WPU coatings have high abrasion resistance, suitable for applications that involve frequent friction and contact.
Chemical resistance: WPU shows good resistance to various chemicals such as acids, alkalis, and oils.
The synthesis of WPU mainly involves steps such as pre-polymerization, chain extension, neutralization, and emulsification. A prepolymer is formed through the reaction between polyols, isocyanates, and other raw materials. Subsequently, chain extension reaction is carried out via chain extender to increase the molecular weight of PU. Then, neutralization is performed on the polyurethane using a neutralizer to impart hydrophilicity. Finally, PU is dispersed in water through emulsification, forming a stable WPU emulsion.
Coatings: WPU is widely used as coatings in construction, furniture, automobiles, and more. Its excellent weather resistance, flexibility, abrasion resistance and environmental friendliness make it an ideal coating material.
Adhesives: WPU adhesives exhibit excellent adhesion and water resistance, widely used to bond wood, leather, fabrics, and other materials.
Textile additives: WPU can serve as a textile additive to enhance the softness, wrinkle resistance, and abrasion resistance of textiles.
Healthcare: Due to its good biocompatibility and hydrolysis resistance, WPU has found wide applications in the healthcare field, such as in the production of artificial skin and drug carriers.
Others: WPU can also be applied in areas such as ink, leather finishing agent, sizing agent and more.
