Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2024
Abstract
Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) are a family of thermoplastic elastomers with great properties such as high elongation and excellent chemical and abrasion resistance, which are processable by conventional melting methods. Nevertheless, TPUs lose mechanical properties and thermal stability at higher temperatures. In this work, we designed and synthesized a new TPU with limited crosslinking of the soft segments in order to improve its performance at high temperatures while preserving processability. Additionally, the new TPU maintains its transparency. With the incorporation of 10% trifunctional polyol, the T was increased by 7°C, the storage modulus at room temperature (25°C) was improved by 412 MPa (136%), the rubbery plateau was extended by 32°C and the thermal stability was enhanced by 4°C at T5. Moreover, the TPU with controlled crosslinking of the soft segments shows exceptional creep behavior both at room temperature and at 150°C, where the creep rate decreased by 80%. The new TPU shows limited decrease in tensile properties and can be processed by conventional thermoplastic processing techniques. Highlights: Design and synthesis of a new TPU with limited crosslinking of the soft segments. Incorporation of the crosslinks into the soft segments preserves system processability. Enhanced mechanical and thermal properties while preserving system transparency. High temperature application window extended by 32°C. Creep rate at 150°C lowered by 80%.
Keywords
controlled crosslinking, creep, processability, thermomechanical properties, TPU, triol
Language
English
Publication Title
Polymer Engineering and Science
Rights
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an Open Access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Barros Junior LP, de Souza LR, Rahimzadeh R, Manas-Zloczower I. Improving performance of TPU by controlled crosslinking of soft segments. Polym Eng Sci. 2024; 64(8): 3982-3992. doi:10.1002/pen.26826
Manuscript Version
Final Publisher Version