Mechanical properties of elastomeric composite membranes made from the porous biaxially drawn ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene film and polyether polyurethane materials

Fibrous composites are commonly found in soft tissue but few man-made composites are used for soft tissue replacement. In this study, fibrous composites, made from biaxially drawn ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene (BD-UHMWPE) and polyether polyurethane materials, were fabricated by solution casting and heat compaction. The effects of processing conditions on tensile properties of the composites were evaluated, in terms of the molecular structures of the polyurethane materials, thermal behavior of the UHMWPE, and the microstructures of the as-made composites. The results indicated that composites of improved tensile properties were constructed in the form of interpenetration of polyurethane through the stacks of the BD-UHMWPE. The tensile strength and modulus of the composites (made from Toyobo TM5 and Solupor™ 7P03) are approximately 69 and 210 MPa. The as-made composite has a significant improvement on its toughness, about 5 times increase in the tensile toughness if compared to that of the BD-UHMWPE. A possible interlocking structure was suggested for those polyurethane materials (Toyobo TM5) that might be recrystallized during heat compaction. The polyurethane like Tecoflex 80A, not indicating a symptom of annealing crystallization, has no impact on increasing the tensile properties but a decrease with plasticizing the materials.