Urethane diols through non-isocyanate approach and their application in MF coating

Abstract

In this work, two urethane diols with different middle chain lengths were prepared by the non-isocyanate approach from 1,4-diaminobutane or 1,6-diaminohexane with ethylene cyclic carbonate at room temperature without the aid of a catalyst. Different weight percentages of hexa(methoxymethyl) melamine (HMMM) crosslinker was mixed with urethane diols then cured under elevated temperature to generate the melamine-formaldehyde (MF) coating films. Two different linear diols without urethane linkage were chosen to crosslink with HMMM as the control group. The mechanical properties of these MF coatings were investigated by tensile test, adhesion test, and conical mandrel bend test. It was found that coatings incorporated with urethane diols exhibited enhanced mechanical properties and flexibility. These properties were also influenced by the weight percentage of HMMM crosslinker. This study provided a facile non-isocyanate way to produce urethane diols and successfully applied them in MF coating.