Polyurethane-grafted graphene oxide from repurposed foam mattress waste.

ABSTRACT: Polyurethanes (PU) make up a large portion of commodity plastics appearing in applications including insulation, footwear, and memory foam mattresses. Unfortunately, as thermoset polymers, polyurethanes lack a clear path for recycling and repurposing, creating a sustainability issue. Herein, using dynamic depolymerization, we demonstrate a simple one-pot synthesis for preparation of an upcycled polyurethane grafted graphene material (PU-GO). Through this dynamic depolymerization using green conditions, PU-GO nanofillers with tunable PU to GO ratios were synthesized. Chemical analysis revealed that the polyurethane graphenic materials primarily contained the polycarbamate hard-segment of polyurethane while the soft polyol component was removed in washes. PU-GOs were incorporated into bulk p

SUBMITTER: Vickery WM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11771326 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature