Poly(urethane-siloxane)s based on hyperbranched polyester as crosslinking agent: Synthesis and characterization

A series of novel polyurethane crosslinked structures (PUs) was prepared from α,ω-dihydroxy-(ethylene oxide-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-ethylene oxide) (EO-PDMS-EO), 4,4’-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate and Boltorn® hyperbranched polyester of the third pseudo generation. The hydroxyfunctional hyperbranched aliphatic polyester with 26 end groups was used as crosslinking agent. In order to improve the compatibility of all reactants during the synthesis, PU samples were prepared by a step-growth polymerization in two stages in solution. The soft EO-PDMS-EO segment content was varied in the range from 15 to 40 wt.%. The influence of the EO-PDMS-EO content on the swelling behavior, crosslinking density, hardness, thermal and surface properties of the synthesized PUs was investigated. The structure of the synthesized polyurethanes was confirmed by the presence of specific bands in Fourier transform infrared spectra. Swelling studies were carried out to determine the crosslinking density and polyurethane networks with lower EOPDMS- EO content revealed higher crosslinking density. The glass transition temperature of the synthesized PUs, determined by differential scanning calorimetry, slightly increased from 50 to 58°C by decreasing EO-PDMS-EO content as a consequence of higher crosslinking density of samples. The increase of EO-PDMS-EO content leads to the better thermal stability, as it was confirmed by the value of the starting temperature of thermal degradation. The surface of the polyurethane networks became more hydrophobic with increasing EO-PDMS-EO content. The surface morphology of synthesized polyurethanes was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy