Research Projects

The research focuses on the preparation of triazolated polyols from soybean oil (SO), a sustainable polyol with ionizable groups linked to triazole rings, which can be used to disperse polyurethane (PU) into water, resulting in PUD coatings with exceptional antimicrobial and anticorrosive performance. The azidated soybean polyol (ASO) is synthesized through a new chemical strategy, integrating triazolated moiety into the PUD matrix to improve thermal, mechanical, and anticorrosive properties. The self-crosslinking property of siloxane moiety significantly enhances the mechanical strength of PUDs. The waterborne polyurethane ink can be useful for 3D printing engineering and future biomedical uses. The researchers propose a new chemical strategy for fabricating anionic waterborne polyurethane dispersion (APUD) latex from the sustainable triazolated polyol, which can be used in the fabrication of 3D scaffolds. The amine-functionalized soybean polyol (ASO) is prepared by introducing N, N-dimethylethanolamine (NDMEA) into epoxy soybean oil (ESO) for the first time in literature. The cationic waterborne PUD is synthesized from the sustainable amine-functionalized polyol, which has excellent physicochemical properties, including enhanced hydrolytic, flexibility, and toughness in various 3D scaffold applications. The prepared 3DP waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) will be characterized to assess their structural properties, thermomechanical stability, and morphology. The polyurethanes will be tested for their effectiveness in self-healing, shape memory, anticorrosive coatings, 3D printing engineering, and future biomedical uses.