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Mechanical properties of polyurethane film exposed to solutions of nonoxynol‐9 surfactant and poly(ethylene glycol)
Author(s) -
McDermott Martin K.,
Schroeder LeRoy W.,
Balsis Shay L.,
Paradiso Nicole A.,
Byrne Michelle L.,
Briber Robert M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.13285
Subject(s) - materials science , ethylene glycol , pulmonary surfactant , polyurethane , polymer , plasticizer , peg ratio , polymer chemistry , elastic modulus , composite material , chemical engineering , volume fraction , diffusion , thermodynamics , physics , finance , engineering , economics
Mechanical properties of two polyether urethane films (Estane and Tecoflex) were studied after exposure to solutions of nonoxynol 9 (N9) surfactant and poly(ethylene glycol) 400 (PEG) for various times. Large amounts of N9 were absorbed from N9/PEG solutions, resulting in soft‐segment plasticization and lower mechanical properties. As the N9 concentration increased, Estane absorbed more liquid and its mechanical properties decreased more compared to Tecoflex, although the mechanical properties of Estane were higher than Tecoflex at low concentrations of N9. Hard‐segment domain disruption is probably not occurring because the relationship between the elastic modulus and polymer volume fraction followed Flory's theory for swollen elastic rubber networks and the liquids do not fully dissolve the polymers. The diffusion behavior of N9 and PEG was observed to follow Fickian behavior. Most of the absorption and decrease in mechanical properties occurred within the first 20 h after soaking, implying that additional loss in strength over longer times would be minimal. Mechanical property anisotropy suggests that condoms should be cut from Estane film in an orientation that optimizes the property–orientation relationship for specific end uses. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1086–1096, 2004