Influence of soft segment structure, hydrogen bonding, and diisocyanate symmetry on morphology and properties of segmented thermoplastic polyurethanes and polyureas

Abstract

A comprehensive review of the structure-morphology-property relations in segmented thermoplastic polyurethanes and polyureas (TPU) is provided. Special emphasis is given to the influence of the soft segment structure, polarity, and molecular weight, diisocyanate symmetry and the nature, extent, and strength of hydrogen bonding on the morphology and thermal and mechanical properties of TPUs. Experimental results obtained on composition-dependent TPU morphology and properties by various techniques were also compared by the morphology profiles generated by computational methods such as quantum mechanical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations.