In situ development of bio‐based polyurethane‐blend‐epoxy hybrid materials and their nanocomposites with modified graphene oxide via non‐isocyanate route

We developed a series of sunflower oil‐based non‐isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU)‐blend‐epoxy hybrid materials (HNIPUs) and their nanocomposites with amine‐functionalized graphene oxide (AF‐GO). Firstly, carbonated sunflower oil (CSFO) containing five‐membered cyclocarbonate groups was synthesized by the reaction of epoxidized sunflower oil with carbon dioxide (CO₂) at a pressure of 50 bar and temperature of 110 °C. Then, a series of HNIPUs were synthesized using a mixture of CSFO and a commercially available epoxy resin in various amounts (10, 20 and 30 wt% with respect to CSFO) using isophorone diamine as the curing agent. The HNIPU with 30 wt% epoxy showed the best mechanical properties. Finally, nanocomposites of 30 wt% HNIPU‐based composition were prepared with various amounts of AF‐GO (0.3, 0.6 and 1.0 wt%) and were characterized using Fourier transform infrared and ¹H NMR spectroscopies, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. These results emphasize the potentiality of this environmentally friendly approach for preparing renewable HNIPU and nanocomposite materials of high performances. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry