Study on synthesis and abrasion resistance of thermoplastic polyurethanes using hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane and polyether polyols

Abstract

Since a production line for 3D printing is easier to change a product model than that for traditional manufacturing one, 3D printing technology is developing and growing faster than most other technologies. A thermoplastic polyurethane is suitable for a 3D printing material because of easy control of its properties by changing a hard/soft segment ratio. A polyurethane having a low content of hard segment can be melted at low temperature and shows high rebound resilience and high slip resistance. However, it is not suitable for a shoe outsole material because of its low abrasion resistance. In this study, hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-OH) was used as an additional polyol to improve abrasion resistance. Polyurethanes were synthesized by adding a small amount of PDMS-OH. Abrasion and slip resistances of the synthesized polyurethanes were investigated as a shoe outsole material for 3D printing. The result showed that both properties of PDMS-containing polyurethanes were strongly depended on the content of PDMS.