Synthesis, mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of polyurethanes based on cardanol

Abstract. Cardanol, an excellent monomer for polymer production, has been isolated from CNSL and allowed to react with formaldehyde in a particular mole ratio in the presence of glutaric acid catalyst to give high-ortho novolac resin. Such characterized polyol has been condensed with diphenylmethane diisocyanate to produce rigid polyurethane. A commercially available polyol, polypropylene glycol-2000 (PPG-2000), has also been condensed with diphenylmethane diisocyanate and polyol to produce tough polyurethane. These polyure-thanes were characterized with respect to their resistance to chemical reagents and mechanical properties such as tensile strength, percentage elongation, tear strength and hardness. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) were undertaken for thermal characterization