General Properties
Short Name: TPU
Name: Thermoplastic Urethane Elastomer
Urethane-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPUs) are generated by the polyaddition of polyisocyanate with polyols and so-called chain extenders (lower molecular diols). They are linear block copolymers containing hard and soft segments. In accordance with ISO 18064*, there is a segmentation of the TPU group corresponding to the nature of the hydrocarbon component (aromatic or aliphatic) between the urethane linkage of the hard blocks and corresponding to the chemical bonding (ether, ester, carbonate) within the soft blocks.
*DIN EN ISO 18064, Thermoplastic elastomers – Nomenclature and abbreviated terms.
Due to the diversity of existing structures of this thermoplastic elastomer no specifi c chemical structure is given.
Properties
NETZSCH Measurement
| Sample Mass | 11.82 mg |
| Heating Rates | 10 K/min |
| Crucible | Al, pierced lid |
| Atmosphere | N2 (40 ml/min) |
Evaluation
Presented in the above graphic is the2nd heating of a TPU. Along with a Glass Transition TemperatureThe glass transition is one of the most important properties of amorphous and semi-crystalline materials, e.g., inorganic glasses, amorphous metals, polymers, pharmaceuticals and food ingredients, etc., and describes the temperature region where the mechanical properties of the materials change from hard and brittle to more soft, deformable or rubbery.glass transition at -32°C (ΔSpecific Heat Capacity (cp)Heat capacity is a material-specific physical quantity, determined by the amount of heat supplied to specimen, divided by the resulting temperature increase. The specific heat capacity is related to a unit mass of the specimen.cp 0.42 J/(g.K)), reflecting the thermal behavior of the soft segments, the DSC curve displays a broad endothermal effect (peak temperature of the main effect 167°C, heat of fusion approx. 8 J/g) that can be attributed to the melting of hard segments.