Synthesis and molecular dynamics study of high-damping polyurethane elastomers based on the synergistic effect of dangling chains and dynamic bonds

A molecular dynamics study of a high-damping polyurethane elastomer is performed by introducing MPEG dangling chains and dynamic bonds.

The effects of the inclusion of 1,2,4-triazole derivatives into the main chains of the polyurethane urea exposed to UV radiation

Linear polyurethane urea containing 1,2,4-triazole segments was obtained by polyaddition of the 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole (DATA) to urethane prepolymer. Also, three crosslinked polymers with different crosslinkers (2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine (TAP), glycerin (Gly), castor oil (CO)) were synthesized. Thermogravimetric analysis, of the obtained polymers, indicated good thermal stability up to 310°C. The polyurethane urea chemical structure was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The glass transition temperatures (Tg) of these polymers, measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), were found in the range of −52°C to −56°C. These values were not significantly influenced by the structure of the hard domain and the intermolecular interactions. The tensile testing showed that the inclusion of 1,2,4-triazole in polyurethane structure substantially improves the tensile strength up to 58 MPa. The obtained polyurethane urea presents surface slight hydrophobic and low interfacial tension. The positive effect of the 1,2,4-triazole segment from the polymer main chain in the UV aging process of these polymer materials has been studied. After exposure to UV radiation, few changes were observed in the molecular structure, in the surface morphology and the mechanical properties.

Crosslink density and mechanical property evolution during the curing of polyurethane-urea/sodium silicate hybrid composites

In order to understand the evolution of the structure–property relationship between the crosslink density and mechanical properties of polyurethane-urea/sodium silicate (PU/SS) hybrid composites, a series of PU/SS composites with 2.5 wt% organofunctional silanes and pure PU/SS composites are investigated at different curing time. Mechanical properties, the fracture surface morphology, and thermo-mechanical properties of these PU/SS composites are characterized by electron omnipotence experiment machine, scanning electron microscope, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), respectively. The mechanical test results show the strength and fracture toughness of the PU/SS composites first increase and then stabilize during cure, and the modification leads to PU/SS composites with significantly higher mechanical properties. Further, the morphology of fractured samples also reveals that the longer curing time and the modification of the PU/SS composites means a higher curing degree. Moreover, the increase in the crosslink density calculated from the DMA tests quantitatively confirmed the positive influence of the curing time and the modification in enhancing mechanical properties. In addition, it is also found that the mechanical properties of the PU/SS composites not only depend on the crosslink density but also on the well-dispersed hybrid PU/SS system.