Abstract: The preparation of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) dispersion represents a fundamental experiment in polymer chemistry courses. However, traditional laboratory exercises exhibit several limitations, including oversimplified knowledge points, lack of inquiry-based design, and weak relevance to modern industrial production, which hinder students’ ability to establish research thinking regarding the “synthesis-structure-property” relationship of polymers. This improved experiment systematically modifies the protocol by closely aligning with industrial production processes, innovatively employing environmentally friendly biomass-derived sorbitan monooleate (SP) as a crosslinking agent. The successful modification of WPU with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fully embodies green chemistry principles. The teaching content has been enhanced with core knowledge elements such as gel point calculation, functionality analysis, and structure-property relationship evaluation of polymers, significantly improving the experiment’s comprehensiveness and advanced nature. The refined experiment not only enables students to master fundamental theories but also provides insights into practical industrial requirements, cultivating their systematic understanding of the “synthesis-structure-property” relationship in materials. While preserving the pedagogical value of classical experiments, this approach incorporates modern industrial technological elements, achieving industry-education integration and providing crucial support for cultivating innovative application-oriented talents.

Key words: Step polymerization, Waterborne polyurethane, Structure and properties, Industry-education integration, Green chemistry