Self-Healable, Strong, and Tough Polyurethane Elastomer Enabled by Carbamate-Containing Chain Extenders Derived from Ethyl Carbonate.

Abstract

Commercial diol chain extenders generally could only form two urethane bonds, while abundant hydrogen bonds were required to construct self-healing thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU). Herein, two diol chain extenders bis(2-hydroxyethyl) (1,3-pheny-lene-bis-(methylene)) dicarbamate (BDM) and bis(2-hydroxyethyl) (methylenebis(cyclohexane-4,1-diy-l)) dicarbamate (BDH), containing two carbamate groups were successfully synthesized through the ring-opening reaction of ethylene carbonate (EC) with 1,3-benzenedimetha-namine (MX-DA) and 4, 4′-diaminodicyclohexylmethane (HMDA). The two chain extenders were applied to successfully achieve both high strength and high self-healing ability. The BDM-1.7 and BDH-1.7 elastomers had high comprehensive self-healing efficiency (100%, 95%) after heated treatment at 60 °C, and exhibited exceptional comprehensive mechanical performances in tensile strength (20.6 ± 1.3 MPa, 37.1 ± 1.7 MPa), toughness (83.5 ± 2.0 MJ/m3, 118.8 ± 5.1 MJ/m3), puncture resistance (196.0 mJ, 626.0 mJ), and adhesion (4.6 MPa, 4.8 MPa). The peculiar mechanical and self-healing properties of TPUs originated from the coexisting short and long hard segments, strain-induced crystallization (SIC). The two elastomers with excellent properties could be applied to engineering-grade fields such as commercial sealants, adhesives, and so on.