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Enhanced Mechanical and Shape Memory Properties of Poly(propylene glycol)‐Based Star‐Shaped Polyurethane
Author(s) -
Xu Zhaozan,
Cui Yangli,
Li Tingting,
Dang Haichun,
Li Jianfeng,
Cheng Fangqin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
macromolecular chemistry and physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.57
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1521-3935
pISSN - 1022-1352
DOI - 10.1002/macp.202000082
Subject(s) - polyurethane , materials science , thermoplastic polyurethane , elastomer , ultimate tensile strength , shape memory alloy , composite material , polyvinyl alcohol , thermoplastic elastomer , branching (polymer chemistry) , polymer chemistry , polymer , copolymer
A poly(propylene glycol)‐based star‐shaped thermoplastic shape memory polyurethane elastomer (STPU) is synthesized by bulk polymerization with the addition of trifunctional poly‐propylene glycerol (PPG‐3) to improve the mechanical and shape memory properties. The mechanical properties are enhanced significantly with the addition of PPG‐3. The tensile strength of STPU is up to 36.0 MPa, which is almost two times higher than that of linear polyurethane (18.4 MPa). The star‐shaped structure, reduction in microphase separation, and good phase compatibility of STPU are the reasons for the enhancement of mechanical properties. The branching degree of STPU (up to 1.83) is much higher than that of linear polyurethane (0.5). STPU shows higher shape memory fixity ratio (97.2%) at −10 °C and recovery ratio (96.7%) at 40 °C than TPU. Therefore, the design and synthesis of star‐shaped polyurethane is an effective approach for improving the mechanical and shape memory properties of polyurethane elastomer.