The influence of the nanofiller on thermal properties of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers

Abstract

Hybrid materials based on renewable resources are under huge interest of scientist nowadays. Polymer-based hybrid materials with the addition of nanoparticles are very interesting because the addition of small amount of nanoparticles significantly improves final material’s properties. Group of polymers which is suitable for use for hybrid materials preparation are polyurethanes. Polyurethanes have wide spectra of commercial and industrial applications, but for their production petroleum-based derivative is used and big efforts are still making for changing it with components from renewable resources. Thermoplastic polyurethanes were synthesized using two types of isocyanates: isophorone diisocyanate and hexamethylene diisocyanate, and the possibility of using isosorbide, instead of butanediol, as chain extender for the synthesis of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers was investigated. NCO/OH ratio was 1.15/1 and soft segment content 50% in all samples. Also, the influence of the addition of hydrophilic and hydrophobic silicon(IV)-oxide nanoparticles, in amounts of 0.5,1, 2, and 5%, on thermal properties of the obtained green polyurethanes is determined using DSC and TG analysis. It is shown that hydrophilic silicon(IV)-oxide nanoparticles have an influence on thermal properties of soft segment in polyurethane structure, while hydrophobic ones have the influence on hard polyurethane’s segment properties, increasing Tg values. Thermal stability of polyurethanes increased with increasing the amount of nanoparticles added. FT-IR analysis showed that there is no chemical reaction between polymer and nanoparticles.