ADESIVO POLIURETANO TERMOATIVADO A PARTIR DE LIGNINA KRAFT MODIFICADA: RELAÇÃO ENTRE ORGANIZAÇÃO MOLECULAR E PROPRIEDADES MACROSCÓPICAS
In the last decades, lignin, the second most abundant biopolymer on the planet, has been gaining prominence in the context of renewable raw materials, aiming to minimize dependence on fossil fuels. This natural polymer exhibits potential for application in several areas due to its industrial scale availability and its physicochemical properties. However, currently most of the world's lignin production is burned for electricity generation. One of the possibilities for the revaluation of this material is its use as a precursor in the polymers synthesis, such as polyurethanes (PU). PU are extremely versatile materials with a wide range of applications, adhesives being a major one. This work goal is the synthesis and characterization of thermoactivated PU adhesives from lignin. For this purpose, unmodified Kraft lignin and hydroxypropylated lignins (via two different routes) were reacted with diphenyl methylene diisocyanate (MDI). Castor oil was also employed as a polyol. A blocking agent (diisopropylamine - DIPA) was added to the systems. The synthesis methodology was based on the chemistry of blocked isocyanate and was divided into two steps: prepolymerization and curing. The determination of the ideal DIPA molar ratio was investigated in order to guarantee a lower degree of cross-linking during the prepolymerization step. The influences of DIPA and lignin concentration on pre-polymerization and curing kinetics were investigated using Temperature Modulated Optical Refractometry (TMOR) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. Systems containing DIPA and lower lignin concentrations exhibited lower degrees of densification in both steps. DIPA also delayed the curing of the adhesives. In addition, lignins exhibited different reactivity. In the second stage of this project, the kinetics study will be concluded by rheological tests and the mechanical, thermomechanical and adhesive properties, as well as the morphology, of the adhesives will be investigated. These results will scientifically support the development of the lignin-based thermoactivated PU adhesives, thus promoting the revaluation of this biopolymer.