Polyurethane anionomers. II. Phase inversion and its effect on physical properties

Abstract

The two series of polyether polyurethane anionomers discussed in part I, undergo emulsification on addition of water to solutions in methyl ethyl ketone. The phase inversion mechanism depends on the structure of the counterion, ionic content and dispersion temperature. The dispersion process can be divided into three stages: separation of hard segment aggregates due to adsorption of water on their surface, water entering into more disordered and then less disordered hard domains, and finally a rearrangement of agglomerates to form microspheres. Films cast from emulsions have crystallizable soft domains, as do films cast directly from solutions. The dispersion can cause a disruption of the packing arrangement in the hard domains, leading to an increased phase separation for the TEA system and an increased phase mixing for the EDEA system. Films cast from solutions have hard domains dispersed in the continuous phase of soft domains. After dispersion, the hard segments originally distributed in the dispersed phase can be inverted to become a hard domain network or a continuous phase.