ABSTRACT
This works presents results on the synthesis and characterization of a novel bio-inspired polyurethane (PU) elastomer with high density of hydrogen bonding. The PU were formed by the condensation of 1,6 hexamethylen-diisocyanate with N-methyl diethanolamine (MDEA) and 1,4-butanediol (BD) as components of the elastic and rigid phases, respectively. The mechanical performance and morphology of this PU are compared with those of a common PU elastomer formed with a medium molecular weight polycarbonate. The materials have been tested by means of Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, differential calorimetry and by uniaxial tensile testing. It has been observed that units composed of MDEA segments present elastomeric behavior despite being highly hydrogen bonded with denser packaging between donor and acceptor of hydrogen bridges than in the case of an intermediate molecular weight polyol. The properties exhibited by these new type of PUs with high density of hydrogen bonding can be considered interesting for the development of resilient and tough materials such as silks.
Keywords:
Super-tough materials; Spider silk mimicry; Polyurethane elastomers; Block architecture; Hydrogen bonding
