Synthesis and properties of transparent thermoplastic segmented polyurethanes

Various segmented polyurethanes with a hard segment content of about 50 wt% were prepared from 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), a poly(tetramethylene adipate) glycol with an Mn of 2000, and various combinations of aliphatic diols as chain extenders by a one‐shot, hand‐cast bulk polymerization method. The segmented polyurethanes were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), ultraviolet‐visible spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X‐ray diffraction, and their tensile properties and Shore A hardness were determined. The DSC data indicate rather good miscibility between the soft segments and the hard segments that accounts for the good transparency. The incorporation of a small amount of a second chain extender into MDI and 1‐4‐butanediol‐based segmented polyurethanes decreases the crystallinity of the hard segment, thus enhancing the transparency. A segmented polyurethane derived from MDI and 1,6‐hexanediol exhibits better transparency due to its relatively lower crystallinity of the hard segment.