Solvent-free synthesis of pendant crosslinked polyurethane hot melt adhesive via dynamic Diels-Alder reaction

Pendant cross-linked polyurethane hot melt adhesive was synthesized without any solvents via Diels-Alder reaction (DA reaction) and was coded as DAPU. Firstly, a chain extender containing furan ring was synthesized via Michale addition reaction between hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and furfuryl amine (FA). Secondly, the polyurethane prepolymer with pendant furan rings was synthesized from the reaction between the chain extender and isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer. Finally, the hot melt adhesive was cross-linked via DA reaction between furan rings and bismaleimide (BMI) without organic solvents due to the viscosity inhibition at higher temperature. DAPU exhibited a higher bonding performance (11.2 MPa) than the commercial reactive polyurethane hot melt adhesive (PUR-Ausbond 3550) and can reach 10.2 MPa after three times break as thermoplastic polyurethane hot melt adhesive (TPU-XJU83), due to the higher cross-linked density and the thermal reversibility of DA adducts. This confirmed that DAPU combined the merits of the two kinds of polyurethane hot melt adhesives successfully without involving solvents.