Durability of polyurethane membranes in artificial weathering environment

In the present work, the degradation behavior of some polyurethane (PU) membranes exposed to artificial weathering environment for different exposure time was studied. The study was conducted in order to understand the durability and life expectancy of these products. The specimens were investigated before and after exposure to accelerated ageing and characterized using different analysis methods: ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, thermal and mechanical properties. In terms of the material surface properties, contact angle measurements and SEM microscopy were performed. Our experimental results reveal that the decomposition of PU is a complex process and is the results of a multitude of physical and chemical phenomena which involves the combination of several steps such as chain scission, rearrangement of them and crosslinking. These investigations allow us to determine the optimum conditions of sterilization or storage of the final polymeric scaffolds, or to design high performance polymers with improved thermal stability.