Polyurethanes: design, synthesis and structure-property behavior of versatile materials

Abstract

Polyurethanes are one of the most important classes of polymeric materials. This is mainly due to the availability ofa very large number of inherently different starting materials that allows the design and synthesis of polyurethanebased materials with a wide range of properties for numerous applications. In this short review, important physical andchemical factors and parameters that have a significant effect on the properties of polyurethanes are discussed. Criticalcontribution of hydrogen bonding on the structure-morphology-property behavior of these materials was emphasized byboth experimental data and molecular simulation studies. Influence of the chemical structures, solubility parameters andmolecular weights of the soft and hard segments on morphology and properties were discussed. Important issues regardingthe reaction chemistry, synthetic method used and thermal history on structure and performance of polyurethanes wereexplained. We hope this article, which is prepared to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Polymer Science, will be useful tothose who are newcomers to the field, but also to the experienced researchers to better understand the structure-propertybehavior of polyurethanes and tailor-design novel structures for various applications.