Plant-Oil-Based Polyamides and Polyurethanes: Toward Sustainable Nitrogen-Containing Thermoplastic Materials

Plant oils and their derived fatty acids are a highly valuable renewable resource for polymer science. In this review, the use of this renewable resource for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing step-growth polymers, that is, polyamides and polyurethanes, is described. The focus is on the accessible structures of monomers and polymers and thus also the obtainable polymer properties. More importantly, the sustainability of the approaches is discussed and compared to each other where possible, also giving suggestions for future developments.