Transparent thermoplastic polyurethanes based on aliphatic diisocyanates and polycarbonate diol

Abstract

Segmented thermoplastic polyurethanes (PUs) were synthetized using polycarbonate diol as soft segment with a molar mass of 500 and as a hard segment 1,5-pentanediol with a combination of isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). Differential scanning calorimetry, differential mechanical analysis, Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection spectroscopy, haze, transmittance, hardness, tensile properties and retention of tensile properties tests were employed to characterize the different PUs. The results of this study show that IPDI/HDI relation has a significant impact on the phase mixing, crystallinity and therefore on the PU’s properties. The variation of diisocyanate type ratio allows obtaining PUs of different nature from a high rubbery material with a high content in IPDI to high crystalline PU increasing the HDI content. Material transparency was also modified by decreasing the amorphous nature of the materials with the increase in the HDI content. The weather resistance of the final PU is related with the different isocyanate relation.