Synthesis, characterization and mechanical properties of polyester-based aliphatic polyurethane elastomers containing hyperbranched polyester segments

Aliphatic polyester-based polyurethane (PU) elastomers with hyperbranched polyester segments were synthesized from polyester diol, hydroxyl-terminated hyperbranched polyester (HB-20), isophorone diisocyanate (PDI) and 1,4-butanediol. The crosslinking density of the PU elastomer was calculated by using Flory–Rehner equation. The degree of hydrogen bonding, the microstructure and the morphologies of these PU materials were characterized by means of FT-IR, WAXD and DSC, respectively. The experimental results showed that the PU elastomers containing small amount of HB-20 exhibited the enhanced hydrogen bonding and mechanical properties. As compared with the comparable PU specimen, the tensile strength of the polyester-based aliphatic PU containing 6 wt% HB-20 increased by 71.2 times, up to 36.1 MPa, and the elongation at break was still as high as 333.1%, resulting from the dual effects of the hydrogen bonding and the crosslinking density in the PU system.