Thermal, dynamic mechanical, and dielectric analyses of some polyurethane biocomposites

Abstract

Polymer biocomposites based on segmented poly(ester urethane) and extracellular matrix components have been prepared for the development of tissue engineering applications with improved biological characteristics of the materials in contact with blood and tissues for long periods. Thermal, dynamical, and dielectrical analyses were employed to study the molecular dynamics of these materials and the influence of changing the physical network morphology and hydrogen bond interactions accompanied by phase transitions, interfacial effects, and polarization or conductivity. All phenomena that concur in the tested materials are evaluated by cross-examination of the dynamic mechanical characteristic properties (storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss factor) and dielectric properties (relative permittivity, relative loss factor, and loss tangent) as a function of temperature. Comparative aspects were elucidated by calculating the apparent activation energies of multiplex experiments.