The polyols used in Covestro's innovative TPUs help reduce the carbon footprint of materials.
Covestro introduces the first TPU based on carbon dioxide (CO2) technology. The company first developed carbon polyether carbonate polyols based on carbon dioxide technology, which is currently being marketed.
With the recent launch of the Desmopan 37385A series, the company offers the first representative product of a new series of TPUs based on CO2 technology and containing new polyether carbonate polyols.
Compared with traditional TPU materials, the new TPU products have a lower carbon footprint and help shorten the carbon cycle. They also protect fossil resources, and unlike many bio-based materials, they do not compete with food production. Covestro's TPU expert Georg Fuchte states, "With the new TPU, our customers can reduce the carbon footprint of their products and can play a pioneering role in sustainability compared to competitors. This is especially true for companies in the consumer products industry. As such, these companies often produce products with a shorter life span. "
Desmopan 37385A has a Shore hardness of 85A, and its mechanical properties are reported to be at least as high as those of conventional TPU grades of similar hardness, and in some cases better than conventional TPUs of similar hardness. For example, it has a tensile strength of 36 MPa (5221.3671 psi) and an elongation at break of 660%. Although designed for extrusion, it is also suitable for injection molding. According to Fuchte, the range of applications covers the typical end use of traditional TPUs, which are comparable in hardness, with applications ranging from soles and upper components to sportswear, handles, knobs and packaging of sensitive electronics.
Covestro plans to expand the new TPU product range with variants of different hardnesses. For example, products with a Shore hardness of 95A have been rapidly solidified during processing and have been well developed. "Therefore, our goal is to apply products to applications where the production of short-cycle economics is particularly important," Fuchte explained.