The development history of polyurethane adhesives reflects the deep integration of the progress of polymer materials science and industrial demands. In the 1940s, with the breakthrough in polyurethane chemistry, researchers discovered the strong polarity and designability of carbamate bonds in its molecular structure, providing new ideas for the development of adhesives. In the 1950s, solvent-based polyurethane adhesives were the first to achieve industrialization, demonstrating excellent flexibility and bonding strength in the textile and footwear industries. However, the issue of organic solvent evaporation has restricted their development.
The energy crisis in the 1970s gave rise to technological innovations in environmental protection, and solvent-free and water-based polyurethane adhesives became the focus of research and development. By introducing hydrophilic groups and emulsion polymerization technology, water-based systems made a breakthrough in the 1980s, reducing VOC emissions by over 90% and promoting the green transformation of industries such as automotive interiors and packaging. At the same time, reactive hot melt adhesive (PUR) technology was introduced, combining the instant bonding property of hot melt adhesives with the post-curing characteristics of polyurethane, and has been widely applied in the fields of electronic packaging and woodworking.
Since the 21st century, nano-modification and bio-based raw materials have become technological hotspots. By adding materials such as nano-silica, the heat resistance of the adhesive has been increased by more than 40%. The bio-based polyurethane developed based on renewable resources such as castor oil and lactic acid has a biomass content of over 60%. In the aerospace field, adhesives resistant to extreme environments ranging from -196℃ to 150℃ have been successfully applied. In the medical field, degradable surgical suture adhesives have been developed.
The current development trend presents three major characteristics: The first is intelligence, such as the development of thermochromic or stress-sensitive adhesives; Second, it is functionally integrated, featuring conductivity, electromagnetic shielding and other properties; The third is full life-cycle environmental protection, including degradable formulas and chemical recycling technologies. According to research data, the global
Polyurethane Adhesive market size has maintained an average annual growth rate of around 6%, and technological progress continues to expand its application boundaries in emerging fields such as new energy batteries and flexible displays. In the future, with the application of computational chemistry and AI-assisted molecular design, the development cycle of high-performance customized products is expected to be shortened by more than 50%.
