Degradation of a poly(ester urethane) elastomer. III. Estane 5703 hydrolysis: Experiments and modeling

Hydrolytic degradation data from a wide variety of experiments on Estane 5703, a commercial poly(ester urethane), are modeled with an AAC2 mechanism of reversible esterification and hydrolysis together with a cluster model for water concentration. The experimental conditions spanned a range of temperatures from 21 to 95 °C, relative humidities from 0 to 100%, times up to more than 30 years, and different initial molecular weights and acidities. In addition, the experiments were performed in several different laboratories with a number of different instruments and techniques. All the experimental data, both for molecular weight and acidity, are modeled with a single set of concentration‐independent rate coefficients, and the kinetic model fits the data well and constitutes a robust model of the hydrolytic degradation of this polymer. The results also show that ester hydrolysis is the dominant cause of the molecular weight loss of Estane 5703 in indoor storage at ambient temperatures and humidities.