Preparation and properties of the main-chain-fluorinated thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer

A series of main-chain-fluorinated thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (FTPU) based on fluoropoly(oxyalky1ene)diol (FPOA) were prepared by a one-step bulk polymerization. Polybutylene adipate (PBA) was combined with FPOA as a soft-segment in order to improve the solvent solubility of FTPU. The effects of the mass ratio of FPOA/PBA and the mass fraction of hard-segment on the mechanical properties of FTPU were investigated. The structure and morphology of FTPU were characterized by FTIR, GPC, DMA, surface property, and AFM analysis. The results indicated that the tensile strength and elongation at break for the sample of FTPU with FPOA/PBA ratio 30/70 can reach as high as 36.6 MPa and 1228.1%, respectively. It exhibited relatively high molecular weight, high damping property, enhanced thermal stability, and extremely low surface tension. The introduction of fluorinated blocks made the extent of incompatibility of the two phases of FTPU greater and the trend of micro-phase separation more serious.