Synthesis and properties of polyester-based TPUs prepared by solution polymerisation

The polyester based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPUs) were prepared by one-step solution polymerisation to obtain a product with completely linear molecular structure and with excellent solubility. The synthesis technique was determined by investigation of the influence of solvent and catalyst on the viscosity of the reaction system and the mechanical properties of the resulting product. The effects of the molecular structure on the mechanical, damping and crystallisation properties of TPUs were studied in terms of the type of diisocyanate, mass fraction of hard segment, type and molecular weight of soft segment, and type of chain extender. The structure and morphology of TPUs were characterised by FTIR, GPC and AFM analysis. There was microphase separation in the molecules of TPU, in which the hard-segment phase was dispersed in the soft-segment phase.