Synthesis and characterization of chitosan-based polyurethane elastomer dispersions

Abstract  

A number of aqueous polyurethane dispersions were synthesized by the reaction of poly(ε-caprolactone) and isophorone diisocyanate, extended with different mass ratios of chitosan and dimethylol propionic acid. Their chemical structures were characterized by using FTIR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and thermal properties were determined by TGA. Incorporation of chitosan into the polyurethane backbone improved thermal stability. The hydrophilicity of the prepared polymers was also examined by contact angle measurements. For all samples, the contact angles increased by increasing the amount of chitosan. The increased contact angle is ascribed to the decrease of the hydrophilicity of the polyurethanes, which is reduced by the increasing amount of chitosan with respect to dimethylol propionic acid chain extender.