Effect of the addition of tall oil-based polyols on the thermal and mechanical properties of ureaurethane elastomers

As part of this work, the test results for ureaurethane elastomers (PUURs) manufactured with the use of tall oil (TO)-based polyols with a rosin acid content ranging from 2 to 20% are presented. The goal of this study was to verify the thermal and mechanical properties of bio-based PUURs. The physicomechanical properties of PUURs were tested along with the strength (static tensile test) and thermal properties: thermogravimetry (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). A structural analysis of the materials was also carried out via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The replacement of the chain extender with tall oil-based polyols resulted in materials with different properties, different chemical constitutions and different thermal decomposition patterns. PUURs with TO polyols had a higher thermal resistance, and this resistance increased for higher isocyanate numbers (I-NCO). The thermal decomposition of the tested PUURs with TO polyols increased with the increase in the rosin acid content. The mechanical properties of the PUURs show that changing the chain extender with the TO polyols causes an increase in the storage modulus. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.