Paez-Amieva, Y.; Martín-Martínez, J.M. Understanding the Interactions between Soft Segments in Polyurethanes: Structural Synergies in Blends of Polyester and Polycarbonate Diol Polyols. Polymers2023, 15, 4494.
Paez-Amieva, Y.; Martín-Martínez, J.M. Understanding the Interactions between Soft Segments in Polyurethanes: Structural Synergies in Blends of Polyester and Polycarbonate Diol Polyols. Polymers 2023, 15, 4494.
Paez-Amieva, Y.; Martín-Martínez, J.M. Understanding the Interactions between Soft Segments in Polyurethanes: Structural Synergies in Blends of Polyester and Polycarbonate Diol Polyols. Polymers2023, 15, 4494.
Paez-Amieva, Y.; Martín-Martínez, J.M. Understanding the Interactions between Soft Segments in Polyurethanes: Structural Synergies in Blends of Polyester and Polycarbonate Diol Polyols. Polymers 2023, 15, 4494.
Abstract
The extent of micro-phase separation in polyurethanes (PUs) depended on the molecular weight, the chemical nature and the structure of the polyol/soft segments. Balanced properties in PUs were obtained by using blends of polyols during synthesis. No previous studies have been devoted to understand the interactions between the soft segments that affect the properties of the PUs. In this study, different blends of two polyols of different nature (polyester – PE - and polycarbonate diol - CD) and similar molecular weight were prepared and their structural, thermal, surface, viscoelastic and self-adhesion properties were assessed. PE showed larger number of structural repeating units and higher number of polar groups than CD, but the carbonate-carbonate interactions in CD were stronger than the ester-ester interactions in PE. The blending of CD and PE imparted synergic structural properties, particularly in the ones containing less than 50 % PE, they were associated to the disrupt of carbonate-carbonate interactions in CD and the formation of new ester-carbonate and hydroxyl-carbonate interactions. Therefore, higher glass transition temperatures, a new diffraction peak at 2θ = 24°, one additional thermal degradation at 426-436 °C, and less steeper decline of the storage moduli to lower temperature were found in CD+PE blends with less than 50 wt.% PE. Furthermore, the different interactions between the polyol chains in the blends were also evidenced on their surface properties, and all CD+PE blends showed self-adhesion property which seemed related to the existence of ester-carbonate and carbonate-carbonate interactions.
Chemistry and Materials Science, Polymers and Plastics
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