Ionomer-based polyurethanes: a comparative study of properties and applications

Polyurethanes cover a large range of materials exhibiting various physical and mechanical properties making them useful in different applications such as elastomers or biomaterials, for instance. The introduction of ionic groups in the polyurethane backbone opens the way to new applications where the ionic groups can act as physical crosslinkers that greatly modify the final mechanical and thermal properties of the materials. Furthermore, the hydrophilicity of the chains can be enhanced by the presence of the ionic species, and so the materials can be processed as conventional dispersions even in a polar solvent such as water. As a consequence the applications are numerous; the main commercial outlets are focused on coatings and textiles industries where they can be used as waterproof coatings or substitutes for leather. But these materials can also be used in high-tech industries for shape memory materials, biomedical devices and biocompatible materials. This review summarizes the latest developments of this class of promising materials and provides the reader with the potentialities of these polymers in various areas.