From Waste to Coatings: Acidolysis of Polyurethane Elastomers with Itaconic Acid for Polyurethane Coating

Devesh Sane; Neel Godbole; Debarati Maity; Anagha Sabnis

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3720-8

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From Waste to Coatings: Acidolysis of Polyurethane Elastomers with Itaconic Acid for Polyurethane Coating

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-09-23

- From Waste to Coatings: Acidolysis of Polyurethane Elastomers with Itaconic Acid for Polyurethane Coating
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 10, Pages: 3340-3354(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  Department of Polymer & Surface Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology Nathalal Parekh Marg, Matunga (E), Mumbai-400019, India
- Author bio：
  
  as.sabnis@ictmumbai.edu.in
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3720-8
  CLC：
- Received：23 February 2026，
  
  Accepted：19 April 2026，
  
  Online First：01 July 2026，
  
  Published：05 October 2026
- Accepted：
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Sane, D.; Godbole, N.; Maity, D.; Sabnis, A. From waste to coatings: acidolysis of polyurethane elastomers with itaconic acid for polyurethane coating. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 3340–3354

Devesh Sane, Neel Godbole, Debarati Maity, et al. From Waste to Coatings: Acidolysis of Polyurethane Elastomers with Itaconic Acid for Polyurethane Coating[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(10): 3340-3354.
Sane, D.; Godbole, N.; Maity, D.; Sabnis, A. From waste to coatings: acidolysis of polyurethane elastomers with itaconic acid for polyurethane coating. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 3340–3354 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3720-8.

Devesh Sane, Neel Godbole, Debarati Maity, et al. From Waste to Coatings: Acidolysis of Polyurethane Elastomers with Itaconic Acid for Polyurethane Coating[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(10): 3340-3354. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3720-8.

摘要

Polyurethane elastomer waste was depolymerized using itaconic acid in a glycol-free system to obtain hydroxyl-functional oligomers. The reaction parameters governed the chemical functionalities. The recycled oligomers were directly utilized for coating formulations

demonstrating an efficient

simplified route for polyurethane (PU) waste valorization.

Abstract

This study explored the chemical recycling of polyurethane (PU) elastomers

via

acidolysis using itaconic acid and dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent without the use of glycol. The depolymerization process was optimized by varying the reaction parameters

and the resulting oligomers were analyzed using end-group analysis. PU coatings were formulated using recovered oligomers and isocyanates derived from isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI)

hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)

and toluene diisocyanate (TDI). Analytical techniques including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)

thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)

electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)

and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were used for characterization. TDI based coatings exhibited superior optical

mechanical

chemical

thermal

and anticorrosive performance over the HDI and IPDIbased coatings. This study successfully showcased a facile method for recycling of PU waste along with PU coating formulations from 100% recycled oligomers

showcasing the use of recycled polyols in high performance applications.

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Keywords

references

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