A new hybrid thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) system that incorporates an organic, biodegradable poly(D, L-lactide) soft block with a hard block bearing the inorganic polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane (POSS) moiety is introduced and studied. Changes in the polyol composition made through variation of the hydrophilic initiator molecular weight show direct control of the final transition temperature...

Today’s intense search for non-oil derived polymeric materials from renewable resources is also evident in the field of adhesives and binders. This Special Issue is aimed at collecting cutting-edge original research papers and reviews on the main areas where biosourced polymeric adhesives from renewable materials are under development and under particular focus, and throughout the vast variety ...

Diols prepared via acetalisation of HMF with glycerol were incorporated into polyurethanes. This additive enables the selective debonding by acid-catalysed hydrolysis PU-based adhesives to facilitate recycling components at end life product.

Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) are a class of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) that are used in a variety of applications (1). TPUs exhibit low temperature flexibility, excellent abrasion resistance, high tensile strength and good processing characteristics. The current medical grade TPU’s have unique property that the flex modulus decreases (softens) when placed in the body. A new resilient...

Polyurethanes, which were once thought to be unstable when used in the body, are now occupying a dominant place in the armamentarium of the biomedical researcher. This paper discusses the history of this class of biomaterials, its chemical structure relevant to long—term surgical implants, physiological acceptability based on standard animal tests, the effects of some modifications, and possibl...

In recent years the atomic force microscope (AFM) has evolved from a high resolution imaging tool to an enabling platform for physical studies at the nanoscale including quantitative mapping of mechanical characteristics of surfaces providing simultaneous topography and mechanical property maps across the length scales. In the work presented here peak force tapping AFM was utilized to elaborate...

Krasol® polybutadiene diols are anionically polymerized products characterized by very narrow molecular weight distribution, linear structure of polymer chains and the absence of species with functionality higher than 0.2. These unique features make them suitable as hydrophobic polyol components for use in thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs). Various TPU formulations were developed using polybut...