Recent Development in Polyurethanes for Automotives

Abstract

The history of polyurethane is relatively shorter compared to that of the other polymers, though its importance has grown rapidly. Due to its unique properties, polyurethanes are widely applied in various fields. In particular, the automotive industry is one of the important application fields. To date, polyols and isocyanates used in the polyurethane industry are generally of petrochemical origin. Recently, owing to the oil crisis, legislation, and growing awareness towards environmental preservation, the demand for more sustainable and eco-friendly raw materials has increased. In this paper, the latest research and development trends in polyurethane applications were reviewed, with a focus on the automobile industry in areas such as seat comfort, noise reduction, light weight, biomass-based polyurethane, and recycling.