Hardness Modulated Thermoplastic Poly(ether ester) Elastomers for the Automobile Weather-Strip Application

Abstract

As a means of developing new material for automobile weather-stripping and seal parts replacing the conventional ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber/polypropylene vulcanizate, a series of poly(ether ester) elastomers are synthesized. The hardness is modulated by controlling chain extender composition after fixing the hard segment to soft segment ratio. Targeted hardness is achieved by partly substituting conventional chain extender 1,4-butandiol for soybean oil-originated fatty acid amide diol that bears a long chain branch. The crystallinity and phase separation behavior resultant elastomer are also tunable simply by modulating chain extender composition and hard to soft segment ratio.