Influence of polydimethylsiloxane on the microstructure and properties of polyester thermoplastic polyurethane

The effect of non-polar and non-hydrogen bonding hydroxybutane terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on the microstructure and properties of polycaprolactone glycol (PCL) based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was studied. All processes were based on the ontology method. FTIR, XRD, DSC and DMA were used to characterize the changes of microstructure, and the macroscopic properties were tested by mechanical, contact angle and flame retardancy testing. PDMS would increase the microphase separation, which made the system form a more detailed three-phase structure. PDMS would cause great damage to the mechanical properties, but the hydrophobicity and flame retardancy would be improved to varying degrees.