Due to their exceptional properties, polyurethane coatings are used extensively in our society. Unfortunately, the socyanate-functional components used in the curing of polyurethanes are generally toxic. Thus, there is a need for polyurethane resins that can be cured without the use of isocyanate-functional components. In addition to enabling the production of polyurethane coatings that are free of isocyanate groups, the proposed resin technology will also provide several other benefits to the coating formulator as well as the coating end-user. A major benefit includes the ability to produce one-component, ambient-cure coatings from the resins. One-component, ambient-cure coatings are highly desired because they are applicator friendly, low in waste generation, and they eliminate energy costs associated with the curing process. The polyurethane resins that can be produced with the proposed technology are also expected to provide several property enhancements over the current state-of-the-art in one-component, ambient-cure coating resins. These enhancements include short drying/curing times, exceptional hardness and solvent/chemical resistance, and the potential for producing coatings that have little to no emissions of organic pollutants. Furthermore, the proposed resin technology utilizes components derived from renewable resources, which is better for the environment and reduces dependence on fossil resources.
