The effect of the type of solvent on the structural and dynamic parameters of polyurethane-styrene-co-acrylonitrile blends

Abstract

The effect of solvents, such as THF, methyl ethyl ketone, ethyl acetate, and acetone, on the structures and molecular dynamics of polyurethane-styrene-co-acrylonitrile blends has been investigated with the use of spin-probe ESR spectroscopy, DSC, IR spectroscopy. There are slight changes in the values of molecular mobility, crystallinity, and elastic modulus of composites containing more than 50% polyurethane, and only at higher contents of the styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer are sharp changes in the structural and dynamic parameters observed in the presence of any solvent. In different solvents, the blend parameters improve in the following series: THF, methyl ethyl ketone, ethyl acetate, acetone. This outcome is determined by the thermodynamic affinities of the dissolved polymers for the solvent. It has been shown that the content of hydrogen bonds between nitrile and urethane groups (a band at 3344 cm−1) increases with the content of styrene-co-acrylonitrile in a blend. During reversible deformation, the molecular mobility of the radical increases and further tension is accompanied by reduced mobility in the oriented blends, independently of the solvent type.