Novel castor oil (CO)-based polyurethane composites which include polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a polyol and cellulose fillers were prepared. The purpose of this article was to render polyurethane composites that can be dispersed in polar solvents (ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and water) using bio-based feedstocks such as CO and cellulose. The chemical structures of the polyurethanes and their cellulose composites were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance of protons. The atomic force microscopy results showed the surface topography of the cellulose-polyurethane composites matrix. The inclusion of cellulose has been found to improve the thermal stability of the materials and their ability to disperse into the studied polar solvents. Cellulose along with PEG plays an important role in increasing the degree of moisture within the polyurethane composite matrix. Thus, we obtained solutions in polar solvents of polyurethane-cellulose composites without the use of waterborne polyurethanes.
