Abstract
This chapter discusses three high-performance types of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) that are thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers, thermoplastic copolyester elastomers, and thermoplastic polyether block amide elastomers. TPEs have two big advantages over the conventional thermoset elastomers. Those are ease and speed of processing. Other advantages of TPEs are recyclability of scrap, lower energy costs for processing, and the availability of standard, uniform grades. The polyester-based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPUs) have the following characteristic features: good oil/solvent resistance, good UV resistance, abrasion resistance, good heat resistance, and mechanical properties. The characters of polyether-based TPUs include fungus resistance, low-temperature flexibility, excellent hydrolytic stability, and acid/base resistance. Thermoplastic copolyester elastomers (TPE-E or COPE) are block copolymers. These TPEs are generally tougher over a broader temperature range than the urethanes. Further, polyether block amides are plasticizer-free TPEs. The soft segment is the polyether and the hard segment is the polyamide (nylon). For example, Arkema PEBAX® 33 series products are based on Nylon 12 and polytetramethylene glycol segments (PTMG).
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