Fast-curing polyurethane adhesives derived from environmentally friendly hyperbranched polyglycerols – The effect of macromonomer structure

Transformation of glycerol to hyperbranched polyglycerols (HBPGs) and their further application as macromonomers for fast-curing polyurethane adhesives were described. An approach allowing for using of hyperbranched polyglycerols derived from renewable glycerol in adhesive technology was investigated. Four hyperbranched polyglycerols of different structures and functionalities were synthesized and crosslinked with polymeric methylenediphenyldiisocyanate (pMDI) and hexamethylenediisocyanate (HDI). Macromolecule functionality and functional group distribution were shown to be a critical factor in terms of the adhesive performance. The studied approach allowed to conclude that environmentally friendly polyglycerols – derived from renewable glycerol – when properly designed could successfully replace petroleum-based ones.