Polyurethanes: Versatile Materials and Sustainable Problem Solvers for Today’s Challenges

Polyurethanes are the only class of polymers that display thermoplastic, elastomeric, and thermoset behavior depending on their chemical and morphological makeup. In addition to compact polyurethanes, foamed variations in particular are very widespread, and they achieve their targeted properties at very low weights. The simple production of sandwich structures and material composites in a single processing step is a key advantage of polyurethane technology. The requirement of energy and resource efficiency increasingly demands lightweight structures. Polyurethanes can serve this requirement by acting as matrix materials or as flexible adhesives for composites. Polyurethanes are indispensable when it comes to high‐quality decorative coatings or maintaining the value of numerous objects. They are extremely adaptable and sustainable problem solvers for today’s challenges facing our society, all of which impose special demands on materials.     

Epoxies toughened with triblock copolymers

Three different commercial triblock copolymers from Arkema were evaluated as potential toughening agents for two different lightly crosslinked epoxies. It was found that the plane strain fracture toughness, K_IC, was on the order of 3.0 MPa√m for 10 parts per hundred resin (phr) of NanoStrength™ E20 resin (a styrene–butadiene–methylacrylate, SBM, type triblock copolymer) in epoxies cured with either aminoethylpiperazine or piperidine. In contrast, 10 phr NanoStrength E40 resin (also an SBM type triblock copolymer) was ineffective in toughening such epoxies. The difference in toughening effectiveness was attributed to the smaller amount of polybutadiene present in the E40 resin. The third toughening agent from Arkema was NanoStrength M22 resin, which is a symmetric triblock copolymer consisting of side blocks of PMMA surrounding a center block of poly(butyl acrylate) and is designated as MAM. At 10 phr MAM both lightly crosslinked epoxies exhibited improvements in toughness. Morphologies were characterized using TEM and toughening mechanisms revealed using SEM and TOM. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1470–1481, 2007     

Robust and recoverable dual cross-linking networks in pressure-sensitive adhesives

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) demand the ability to simultaneously improve toughness and adhesion. However, these requirements of PSAs have remained a great challenge because robust and recoverable characteristics are usually contradictory properties of PSAs. Dual cross-linking networks developed by incorporating dynamic noncovalent bonds into chemical cross-linking networks have the potential to mitigate these requirements in a wide variety of applications including adhesives, hydrogels, and elastomers. Herein, a facile approach to achieve dual cross-linking networks of acrylic PSAs with excellent mechanical properties and high-adhesive performance that integrate physically cross-linked networks into chemically cross-linked networks is proposed. Diurethane acrylic monomer-pentaerythritol ethoxylate (DAM-PEEL) groups were introduced into the acrylic PSA system through photopolymerization. The PSA/DAM-PEEL dual cross-linking networks led to the development of the chemically cross-linked networks for both PSA and DAM via covalent bonds and the physically cross-linked networks between the amide groups of DAM and the hydroxyl groups of PEEL via hydrogen bonds. Consequently, the PSA/DAM-PEEL dual cross-linking networks were able to simultaneously improve the modulus and stretchability. This design strategy for developing dual cross-linking networks of materials could offer potential applications for various adhesive-related applications.     

Effect of chemical structure of acrylic pressure‐sensitive adhesives for polarizing film on light leakage phenomenon in TFT‐LCDs

Increasing image quality in thin‐film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT‐LCD) is a recognized challenge for electronic companies and specialists working in this area. One of the main problems in TFT‐LCDs is a phenomenon called “light leakage”, affecting black–white contrast and color brightness. It occurs because of a heat‐induced shrinkage and disorientation of the polarizing film of TFT‐LCD, which controls the intensity of the light from the backlight unit. Improvement of the light leakage can be achieved through using a pressure‐sensitive adhesive (PSA) used for assembling the polarizing film onto the TFT‐LCD panel. In this paper, eight acrylic/methacrylic monomers with high glass transition temperature (Tg) were employed for synthesis of the polymers for the adhesive. Effect of structure, Tg, and elasticity modulus of the synthesized polymers on the light leakage was investigated simultaneously for 2.5‐ and 7.0‐in. size samples. We demonstrated that the light leakage can be minimized through two different mechanisms—high stress relaxation of the polymers with low Tg and low modulus and high shrinkage resistance of the polymers with high Tg and high modulus. The results of this work indicate a possibility to develop a universal PSA for polarizing film in TFT‐LCDs of different sizes that will have a positive effect on manufacturing productivity and lowering prices of digital devices. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From fatty acid and lactone biobased monomers toward fully renewable polymer latexes

Novel waterborne polymeric materials based on renewable resource monomers have been prepared by the environmentally friendly miniemulsion polymerization of an oleic acid‐derivative monomer (MOA) and the α‐methylene‐γ‐butyrolactone (α‐MBL). The effect of the incorporation of different amounts of α‐MBL on kinetics and polymer microstructure is investigated. The estimation of the monomer reactivity ratios (r_α‐MBL = 0.49 and r_MOA = 1.26) shows the slight lower reactivity of the α‐MBL, resulting in a random copolymer moderately enriched with MOA at the beginning of the reaction. The thermal and mechanical properties of the polymers demonstrate that by incorporating the lactone it is possible to produce copolymers in a broad range of glass transition temperatures, with high thermal stability and improved mechanical properties. This study provides a new green route toward the bio‐sourced preparation of polymer latexes with tuneable properties, which can range from coatings to adhesives. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 3543–3549     

Development of reactive methacrylates based on glycidyl methacrylate

Six methacrylate monomers have been synthesized for use as reactive diluents in dental composites and evaluated to investigate the relationship between molecular structure and monomer reactivity. Four were synthesized by reactions of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) with various acids, 2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)acetic acid ( 1 ), 2‐(2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethoxy)acetic acid ( 2 ), cyanoacetic acid ( 3 ), and benzoic acid ( 4 ); others were synthesized by reactions of GMA with diethyl hydrogen phosphate ( 5 ) or methanol ( 6 ). Monomers 1 and 2 are novel, 3 seems to be novel, 4 and 6 were synthesized via a novel method, and the synthesis of 5 was described in the literature. The monomers showed high crosslinking tendencies during thermal bulk polymerizations. The photo‐, homo‐, and copolymerization behavior of the monomers with 2,2‐bis[4‐(2‐hydroxy‐3‐methacryloyloxy)phenyl]propane (Bis‐GMA) were investigated. The maximum rate of polymerizations of monomers 2 – 6 was found to be greater than triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, Bis‐GMA, 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and glycerol dimethacrylate. For the more reactive monomers ( 2 , 3 , and 4 ), the oxygen sensitivity of polymerization was found to be low due to a hydrogen abstraction/chain transfer reaction. The computationally calculated dipole moment and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energies indicated that there seems to be a correlation between these quantities and reactivity for ester linked monomers ( 1 – 5 ), which was also supported by ¹³C NMR data. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3787–3796, 2010     

Synthesis and photopolymerization of piperonylamine derivatives as a polymerizable cyclic acetals co‐initiator for light‐cured unfilled dental resins

The aim of this study was to synthesize and characterize N,N‐di(methacryly‐ethoxycarbonyl‐ethyl)‐N‐(1,3‐benzodioxole‐ 5‐methylene)(DMEBM) to replace both triethylene glycol dimethylacrylate(TEGDMA) as a dilute and the non‐polymerizable amine, which is added as a co‐initiator in dental resin mixtures. 2,2‐bis[4‐(2‐Hydroxy‐3‐methacryloxypropoxy) phenyl]‐propane (Bis‐GMA) and camphorquinone (CQ) were used as monomer and photoinitiator in these model dental resin systems, in contrast to ethyl 4‐dimethylaminobenzoate (EDMAB) which was usually used as a co‐initiator. DMEBM was synthesized via Michael‐Addition reaction and characterized using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. A mixture of Bis‐GMA/DMEBM/CQ was found to reach the double bond conversion of 67.5%, slightly higher than that of Bis‐GMA/TEGDMA/CQ/EDMAB (66.8%) and Bis‐GMA/TEGDMA/CQ/DMEBM (64.8%). In addition, the glass transition temperature of Bis‐GMA/TEGDMA/CQ/EDMAB (93.4°C) were higher than that of Bis‐GMA/TEGDMA/CQ/DMEBM (89.3 °C) and Bis‐GMA/DMEBM/CQ (80.4°C). The water sorption and solubility of Bis‐GMA/TEGDMA/CQ/DMEBM were higher than that of Bis‐GMA/TEGDMA/CQ/EDMAB and Bis‐GMA/DMEBM/CQ. However, the values were still within the range of the ISO 4049 standards. DMEBM could be used as a potential co‐initiator and diluent for dental composite. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal degradation of butyl acrylate-methyl acrylate-acrylic acid-copolymers

The thermal degradation of copolymers based on butyl acrylate-methyl acrylate-acrylic acid used as acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives, especially for bonding of plasticizer containing materials, has been investigated using thermogravimetry and pyrolysis-gas chromatography at 250°C. It was observed that during the pyrolysis of butyl acrylate-methyl acrylate-acrylic acid copolymers unsaturated monomers as methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate and butyl methacrylate were formed. During the side-chain butyl acrylate-methyl-acrylate-acrylic acid-copolymer degradation the presence of methyl alcohol and butyl alcohol was observed.     

A Water‐Borne Adhesive Modeled after the Sandcastle Glue of P. californica

Polyacrylate glue protein analogs of the glue secreted by Phragmatopoma californica, a marine polycheate, were synthesized with phosphate, primary amine, and catechol sidechains with molar ratios similar to the natural glue proteins. Aqueous mixtures of the mimetic polyelectrolytes condensed into liquid complex coacervates around neutral pH. Wet cortical bone specimens bonded with the coacervates, oxidatively crosslinked through catechol sidechains, had bond strengths nearly 40% of the strength of a commercial cyanoacrylate. The unique material properties of complex coacervates may be ideal for development of clinically useful adhesives and other biomaterials.

     

Synthesis and Evaluation of Adhesion Properties of Homogeneous and Core-Shell Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives

Summary: Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives (PSAs) are used for many applications (e.g. tapes and labels), and the market is still growing as new applications are regularly discovered. Emulsion polymerization is widely used to produce water-based PSAs. In this work, the influence of morphology, diameter and acrylic acid concentration in the particles on adhesion properties (peel, tack and shear) was studied. To do so, two series of homogeneous and core-shell latex particles of poly(butyl acrylate-2-ethyl-hexyl acrylate) with different concentrations of acrylic acid (0, 1, 3 and 5 wt%) and three different average diameters, were synthesized by means of emulsion polymerization techniques. The materials were characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential and transmission electronic microscopy. The contents of acrylic acid in the polymer and dispersed medium were determined and the higher quantity of it was found within the particles. The best equilibrium between adhesion properties was found in the core-shell particles with 3 wt% of AA.