Modification and Application of TPU as Toughening Agent

In order to reduce the cost of products and obtain additional properties, polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer can be used as a common toughening agent to toughen many kinds of thermoplastic plastics and modified rubber materials.

 

Because polyurethane is a kind of high polar polymer, it can be compatible with polar resin or rubber, for example, combining with chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) to make medical products, blending with ABS to instead engineering thermoplastic. It can be used to make automobile body with polycarbonate (PC), which has the properties of oil resistance, fuel resistance and impact resistance; blending with polyester can improve its toughness, and can be compatible with polyvinyl chloride, polyformaldehyde (POM) or poly (vinylidene chloride); Polyester polyurethane can be compatible with 15% NBR or 40% NBR / PVC blend. Polyether polyurethane can also be compatible with 40% NBR / PVC blends. Compatible well with acrylonitrile-styrene (SAN) copolymer; Polyurethane and reactive polysiloxane can form interpenetrating network (IPN) structure, etc. The vast majority of the above-mentioned blends have been officially produced.

 

TPU is difficult to be miscible with non-polar polymer materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene rubber, butylene divinyl rubber, isoamyl rubber or waste rubber powder, and can not be used to produce good performance composites. Therefore, surface treatment methods such as plasma, corona, wet chemistry, undercoating, flame or reactive gas are often used for the latter.