Structure–property relationships in one‐component polyurethane adhesives for wood: Sensitivity to low moisture content

The causes of strength loss of wood joints and their consequent delamination from one‐component polyurethane adhesives used for bonding structural wood when used at a low moisture content was investigated by testing wood joint strength and elongation at rupture at different wood moisture contents and by ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy of the hardened bond line. The combination of the relative proportion of the still‐reactive free ? NCO groups on the polyurethane, of the wise choice of degree of polymerization of the resin, and of a slower rate of reaction were the three parameters found to be important in overcoming the problem of poor or no bonding of wood at low to very low moisture contents from one‐component polyurethane adhesives. The results obtained indicated that one‐component polyurethane adhesives that had a combination of a higher proportion of still‐unreacted ? NCO groups, a lower degree of polymerization, and a slower reaction rate were capable of overcoming the problem of the high sensitivity of polyurethane gluing at low to very low wood moisture contents. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 4181–4192, 2006     

One‐component polyurethane adhesives for green wood gluing: Structure and temperature‐dependent creep

Creep and temperature‐dependent creep, characteristic of one‐component polyurethane adhesives for wet and green structural wood gluing are two different parameters. Testing of standards‐approved commercial polyurethane adhesives for this purpose shows that while ambient temperature creep can be avoided or at least greatly limited according to the formulation used, this is not the case for temperature‐dependent creep. The commercial adhesive formulation characteristics that minimize or enhance ambient temperature and temperature‐dependent creep are identified. Basic principles on the structure of simple polyurethane adhesives influencing temperature‐dependent creep are also identified and discussed. The higher the proportion of all hardened network nodes, the lower creep is likely to be at ambient temperature. Instead, due to segment movement and easier disentanglement with increasing temperature, the lower the proportion of covalently linked nodes and the greater the proportion of just physical entanglement nodes, the greater the temperature‐dependent creep will be. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1231–1243, 2005     

Synthesis and characterization of rubber‐seed‐oil‐based polyurethanes

Novel biobased polyurethanes were synthesized from rubber seed oil (RSO), a renewable resource. The RSO monoglyceride, together with xylene and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI), was employed to synthesize the desired urethane‐based prepolymer with isocyanate (NCO)‐terminated end groups followed by curing. The degrees of crosslinking of the polyurethane after curing were assessed with their swelling behavior. The properties of the resulting polyurethanes were found to be dependent on the type of diisocyanate and their molar ratios to the RSO monoglyceride. The network structures, which were assessed through swelling studies, showed that networks based on HMDI with an NCO/OH ratio of 1.50 were better crosslinked than with those toluene diisocyanate. The thermal properties of the samples analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis showed two and three decomposition stages in aliphatic‐ and aromatic‐based RSO polyurethanes, respectively. The highest stability with initial decomposition temperature (253°C) and percentage residual at 500°C (11.4%) was achieved with an aliphatic‐based RSO polyurethane. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of novel thermoplastic poly(oligophosphazene‐urethane)s

BACKGROUND: Polyurethanes are some of the most popular polymers used in a variety of products, such as coatings, adhesives, flexible and rigid foams, elastomers, etc. Despite the possibility of tailoring their properties, polyurethanes suffer a serious disadvantage of poor thermal stability. Many attempts have been made in order to improve the thermal stability of polyurethanes. RESULTS: A new hydroxyl‐terminated oligomer containing sulfone groups, 2,2‐bis(4‐hydroxy‐4,4‐sulfonyldiphoneloxy)tetraphenoxyoligocyclotriphosphazene (HSPPZ), was synthesized. HSPPZ was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), NMR and gel permeation chromatography analyses. A series of novel thermoplastic poly(oligophosphazene‐urethane)s were then synthesized via the reaction of NCO‐terminated polyurethane prepolymer with HSPPZ containing chain‐extender diols. Their structure and properties were investigated using FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, water contact angle measurement and tensile measurements. CONCLUSION: Compared to conventional thermoplastic polyurethanes, poly(oligophosphazene‐urethane)s exhibit better thermal stability, low‐temperature resistance and hydrophobicity, but their mechanical properties are slightly poorer. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Biodegradable polyurethane elastomers prepared from isocyanate‐terminated poly(ethylene adipate), castor oil,and glycerol

The curing reaction of tolylene‐2,4‐diisocyanate‐terminated poly(ethylene adipate) (PEA‐TDI) with a mixture of castor oil (CO) and glycerol (GO) with a NCO/OH ratio of 1.0 at 150°C gave crosslinked polyurethane (CO/GO‐PU). All the polyurethanes were elastomeric materials at room temperature. The glass‐transition temperature of the CO/GO‐PU increased with decreasing CO/GO ratio. All the cured polyurethanes had a higher 5% weight loss temperature than PEA‐TDI. The tensile strength and modulus of the polyurethanes increased with decreasing CO/GO ratio, and tensile residual strain after 300% elongation for all the CO/GO‐PUs was almost 0. All the polyurethanes had biodegradability, when measured by a biochemical oxygen demand method in an aqueous medium using activated sludge. The rate of the biodegradation of the polyurethanes increased with an increase of CO/GO ratio. The crosslinked CO‐PU showed much higher biodegradability than the linear PEA‐TDI. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis and characterization of novel urethane‐siloxane copolymers with a high content of PCL‐PDMS‐PCL segments

Novel polyurethane copolymers derived from 4,4′‐methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), 1,4‐butanediol (BD) and α,ω‐dihydroxy‐[poly(caprolactone)‐poly (dimethylsiloxane)‐poly(caprolactone)] (α,ω‐dihydroxy‐(PCL‐PDMS‐PCL); = 6100 g mol^?1) were synthesized by a two‐step polyaddition reaction in solution. In the synthesis of the polyurethanes, the PCL blocks served as a compatibilizer between the nonpolar PDMS blocks and the polar comonomers, MDI and BD. The synthesis of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) with high soft segment contents was optimized in terms of the concentrations of the reactants, the molar ratio of the NCO/OH groups, and the time and temperature of the polyaddition reaction. The structure, composition, and hard MDI/BD segment length of the synthesized polyurethane copolymers were determined by ¹H, ¹³C‐NMR, and two‐dimensional correlation (COSY, HSQC, and HMBC) spectroscopy, while the hydrogen bonding interactions in the copolymers were analyzed by FT‐IR spectroscopy. The influence of the reaction conditions on the structure, molecular weight, thermal, and some physical properties was studied at constant composition of the reaction mixture. A change in the molar ratio of the NCO/OH groups and the reaction conditions modified not only the molecular weight of the synthesized polyurethanes, but also the microstructure and therefore the thermal and physical properties of the copolymers. It was demonstrated that only PCL segments with high soft segment contents crystallize, thereby showing spherulitic morphology. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Thermal stability of chemically crosslinked moisture‐cured polyurethane coatings

Polyurethane prepolymers are widely used in reactive hot melt adhesives and moisture‐cured coatings. The segmented moisture‐cured formulations, based on polytetramethylene glycol (PTMG‐1000)/trimethylol propane (TMP)/isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and PTMG/TMP/toluene diisocyanate (TDI), were prepared with NCO/OH ratio of 1.6 : 1.0. The excess isocyanate groups of the prepolymers were chain extended in the ratio of 2 : 1 (NCO/OH) with different aliphatic diols and 4 : 1 with different aromatic diamines. The surplus isocyanate groups of the formulations were completely reacted with atmospheric moisture, and the thermal stability of the postcured materials obtained as cast films were evaluated by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. It was observed that initial degradation temperatures were above 270°C, with two‐ or three‐step degradation profiles. The degradation parameters were evaluated using the Broido and Coats–Redfern methods. The thermal resistance of moisture‐cured formulations using diisocyanates with the cycloaliphatic structures (IPDI) and the aromatic TDI, at the same NCO/OH ratio (1.6), and TMP content were compared from the isothermal TG experiments at different temperatures and dynamic TG experiments at different heating rates in nitrogen and oxygen environments. The observation suggests that polyurethane‐containing sulfone groups and straight‐chain diol chain extenders were more stable. It was also observed that at lower temperature polyurethane, prepared from aliphatic diisocyanates (IPDI), was more stable than the aromatic diisocyanate (TDI) containing polyurethanes. At high temperature, the stability order follows the reverse trend. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 1509–1518, 2005     

Sind polyurethanwerkstoffe ein reifes gebiet?

The world-wide production of polyurethanes has exceeded 6 mio. metric tons in 1994. Compared with the produced amounts of large-scale thermoplastics such as PE, PVC, PP and PS, polyurethanes keep the 5th place. Polyurethanes (PUR) are segmented polymers, which can be synthesized from preformed building blocks in a modular unit construction system. The chemical modules and the various possibilities of combination will be discussed here. Tailor-made polyurethane materials can be divided into two main-fields of application: foams and compact PUR. The main constituents of polyurethane materials are diisocyanates and polyols. These key- chemicals are well characterised with respect to their technological, economical and ecological properties. Taking into account the availability, the masses of production and the experiences that have been collected with the PUR main constituents, these PUR precursors seem to be very mature already. In contrast to this, the PUR-materials made from these building blocks still offer numerous novel problem-solutions, resulting from the variability of the diisocyanate-poly-addition reaction: PUR materials are most commonly segmented into several phases. The formation of hard- and softsegments can be easily demonstrated by looking at thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). A deeper understanding of this phase separation and the molecular organisation within these materials promises to realize prospectic polymeric architectures with new and improved properties. PUR materials will still be able to offer new answers to future requirements in balancing economical and ecological needs. By looking at the life-cycles of soft and hard-foams, polyurethane-coatings and thermoplastic PUR-elastomers, this contribution will adress the question: “Is PUR-chemsitry still a challenging field?”     

Synthesis and thermal properties of polyurethane–polysiloxane crosslinked polymer networks

Polysiloxane–polyurethane crosslinked polymer networks (PSI–PU) were synthesized in solution by polymerization of oligosiloxanes containing γ‐hydroxy propyl groups with polymethane polyphenyl polyisocyanate. Polyether‐based polyurethane and polyester‐based polyurethane were also prepared by a “one‐shot” method. Their thermal properties were studied by thermogravimetric analysis. It was observed that the thermal stability of PSI–PU was better than that of polyether‐based polyurethane and polyester‐based polyurethane, and an inert atmosphere had no effect on decomposition of polyurethanes below 350°C. It was found that polyurethane–polysiloxane crosslinked polymer networks decomposed slower in oxygen than in nitrogen in the temperature range of 350–550°C. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 310–315, 2003     

Preparation of nanometer‐sized poly(methacrylic acid) particles in water‐in‐oil microemulsions

A water‐in‐oil microemulsion, water‐in‐cyclohexane stabilized by poly(ethylene glycol) tert‐octylphenyl, was developed to prepare poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) particles. Up to 100% conversion of the amphiphilic monomer, methacrylic acid (MAA), which could not be converted to the polymer efficiently in a dioctylsulfosuccinate sodium salt/toluene microemulsion, was achieved. The viscosity‐average molecular weight of the PMAA prepared was 1.45 × 10⁵ g/mol. The effects of some polymerization parameters, including the reaction temperature and the concentrations of the initiator and the monomer, on the polymerization of MAA were investigated. The results showed that the polymerization rate of MAA was slower than that of acrylamide in the microemulsions reported in the literature. The degree of conversion increased with the initiator concentration, reaction temperature, and monomer concentration. However, the stable microemulsions became turbid during the polymerization when the reaction temperature was at 70°C or at a high monomer concentration (40 wt %) The synthesized PMAA particles were spherical and had diameters in the range of ～50 nm. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 2497–2503, 2006     

Toughened composites prepared from castor oil based polyurethane and soy dreg by a one‐step reactive extrusion process

A series of water‐resistant composites were successfully prepared from a mixture of soy dreg (SD), castor oil, and 2,4‐toluene diisocyanate (TDI) by a one‐step reactive extrusion (REX) process. The structure and properties of the composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, tensile testing, and swelling experiments. The results indicated that the toughness of the composites prepared from castor oil based polyurethane and SD was significantly improved. In this case, TDI played an in situ compatibilization role through the crosslinking reaction of ? NCO groups with ? NH₂, ? NH? , and ? OH groups in SD and castor oil. With an increase in the molar ratio of ? NCO groups of TDI and ? OH groups of castor oil, the degree of crosslinking, tensile strength, glass‐transition temperature, water resistivity, and solvent resistivity of the composites increased. With an increase in the SD content of the composites, the tensile strength and solvent resistivity of the composites increased because of the reinforcement of the cellulose component in SD. This work provided a simple and effective way of preparing SD‐based composites by a REX process. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 953–960, 2006     

Biobased polyisocyanates from plant oil triglycerides: Synthesis,polymerization, and characterization

In this study, an easy and efficient synthesis of unsaturated plant oil triglycerides having isocyanate groups is reported. In the first step of the synthesis, the triglyceride was brominated at the allylic positions by a reaction with N‐bromosuccinimide, and in the second step, these brominated species were reacted with AgNCO to convert them to isocyanate‐containing triglycerides. At the end of the reaction, approximately 60–70% of the bromine was replaced by NCO groups, and the double bonds of the triglyceride were not consumed. When the amount of AgNCO was increased, the yield also increased. The final products were characterized with IR and ¹H‐NMR, and polyurethanes and polyureas were obtained from these fatty isocyanates with alcohols and amines, respectively. The polymers were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. Differential scanning calorimetry curves showed that glycerin polyurethane showed a glass‐transition temperature at 19°C, castor oil polyurethane showed two glass‐transition temperatures at ?43 and 36°C, and triethylene tetraamine polyurea showed a glass‐transition temperature at 31°C. Some properties of the polymers, such as the tensile strength and swelling ratios, were also determined. The swelling rate of glycerin polyurethane was higher than that of castor oil polyurethane in dichloromethane. The equilibrium swelling ratio was highest for the castor oil polyurethane. The polyurethanes synthesized in this study had a Young's modulus around 50 kPa and a tensile strength around 0.01 N/mm² (100 kPa). The tensile strength of glycerin polyurethane was higher than that of castor oil polyurethane. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of polyhydroxylated polybutadiene binding 2,2′‐thiobis(4‐methyl‐6‐tert‐butylphenol) with isophorone diisocyanate

A macromolecular hindered phenol antioxidant, polyhydroxylated polybutadiene containing thioether binding 2,2′‐thiobis(4‐methyl‐6‐tert‐butylphenol) (PHPBT‐b‐TPH), was synthesized via a two‐step nucleophilic addition reaction using isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as linkage. First, the ? OH groups of PHPBT reacted with secondary ? NCO groups of IPDI to form the adduct PHPBT‐NCO, then the PHPBT‐b‐TPH was obtained by one phenolic ? OH of 2,2′‐thiobis(4‐methyl‐6‐tert‐butylphenol) (TPH) reacting with the PHPBT‐NCO. The PHPBT‐b‐TPH was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR), ¹³C‐NMR, and thermogravimetric analysis, and its antioxidant activity in natural rubber was studied by an accelerated aging test. Influences of reaction conditions on the two nucleophilic reactions between ? OH group and ? NCO group were investigated. In addition, catalytic mechanism for the reaction between PHPBT‐NCO and TPH was discussed. The results showed that the adduct PHPBT‐NCO could be obtained by using dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) as catalyst, and the suitable temperature and DBTDL amount were 35°C and 3 wt %, respectively. However, triethylamine (TEA) was more efficient than DBTDL to catalyze the reaction between PHPBT‐NCO and TPH because of steric hindrance effect. In addition, it was found that the thermal stability and antioxidant activity of PHPBT‐b‐TPH were higher than those of the low molecular weight antioxidant TPH. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40942.     

Characterization of polyurethane foams prepared from non‐pretreated liquefied corn stover with PAPI

Polyurethane foams were prepared through co‐polymerization of non‐pretreated liquefied corn stover (LCS) and polymethylene polyphenylisocyanate (PAPI). The effects of [NCO]/[OH] ratio on the chemical structure and the thermal properties were studied by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The urethane linkages and the free isocyanate groups in co‐polymerization were detected from FT‐IR analysis. Thermal decomposition of polyurethane foams occurred in four main successive stages. With the increasing [NCO]/[OH] ratio, the glass transition temperature (T_g) and the initial decomposition temperature increased from −36.12 and 52.18 to 1.20 and 73.30°C, respectively. And the range of T_g expanded from 26.39 to 57.12°C.     

Cast polyurethane elastomers obtained with N,N′‐ethyleneurea and 1,4‐butanediol as chain extenders

Tensile properties and dynamic mechanical thermal properties for polyurethane elastomers extended with N,N′‐ethyleneurea (EU) and 1,4‐butanediol (1,4‐BD) were investigated. Also gel permeation chromatography and extraction experiments for selected elastomers were performed. EU residues were introduced into polyurethane during prepolymer synthesis at 140°C. Such prepolymers with built‐in EU residues were extended with 1,4‐BD for different [NCO]/[OH] molar ratios. The use of EU chain extender produces in general polymers with inferior mechanical properties compared to the typical 1,4‐BD based polyurethanes, although some of the EU‐based polymers show improved strain‐stress parameters. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 75: 728–733, 2000     

Characterization of canola oil based polyurethane wood adhesives

A novel bio-based poly (ether ester) polyol containing both primary and secondary functional groups was synthesized from canola oil using a low cost and efficient procedure. In this work, use of the new canola oil derived polyol for the production of polyurethane (PU) adhesives was demonstrated. The canola oil based PU adhesives had similar or better adhesive properties in terms of lap shear strength than three commercial PU adhesives. The effect of NCO/OH ratio and temperature on adhesive characteristics on wood bonding was also evaluated by lap shear tests. It was found that the use of an elevated curing temperature (i.e. 100 °C), as well as optimized NCO/OH molar ratio (higher than 1.5/1.0), improved the wood adhesive properties. The overall chemical resistance of bio-based PU adhesives to cold water, acid and alkali was comparable to that of commercial PU adhesives whilst its resistance to hot water was superior.     

Structure‐property relationship of L‐tyrosine‐based polyurethanes for biomaterial applications

The structure‐property relationship of L ‐tyrosine‐based polyurethanes was demonstrated by using different polyols and diisocyanates. L ‐tyrosine‐based chain extender, desaminotyrosyl tyrosine hexyl ester (DTH), was used to synthesize a series of polyurethanes. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) or poly caprolactone diol (PCL) was used as the soft segment and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) or dicyclohexylmethane 4,4′‐diisocyanate (HMDI) was used with DTH as the hard segment. The polyurethanes were characterized to investigate the effect of structure on different polyurethane properties. From FTIR and DSC, these polyurethanes exhibit a wide range of morphology from phase‐mixed to phase‐separated structure. The decreasing molecular weight of the PEG soft segment leads to relatively more phase mixed morphology whereas for PCL‐based polyurethanes the extent of phase mixing is less with decreasing PCL molecular weight. Results show that PCL‐based polyurethanes are mechanically stronger than PEG‐based polyurethanes but PCL‐based polyurethanes degrade slower and absorb less water compared with PEG‐based polyurethanes. The HMDI‐based polyurethanes are less crystalline and comparatively more hydrophobic than HDI‐based polyurethanes. The characterization results show that the polyurethane properties are directly related to the structure and can be varied easily for a different set of properties that are pertinent for biomaterial applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis,thermal properties,and morphology of blocked polyurethane/epoxy full‐interpenetrating polymer network

Blocked polyurethane (PU)/epoxy full‐interpenetrating polymer network (full‐IPN) were synthesized from blocked NCO‐terminated PU prepolymer, with 4,4‐methylene diamine as a chain extender and epoxy prepolymer, with 4,4‐methylene diamine as a curing agent, using simultaneous polymerization (SIN) method. From FTIR spectra analysis it was found that the major reactions in the blocked PU/epoxy IPN system are the self‐polymerization of block PU/chain extender and the self‐polymerization of epoxy/curing agent. Meanwhile, from reaction mechanisms the copolymerization of IPN may have occurred at the same time. The weight loss by thermogravimetric analysis decreased with increasing epoxy and filler content. It was confirmed from scanning electron micrography (SEM) that when the blocked PU content increased, the microstructure of IPN became rougher. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 323–328, 2006     

Cure kinetics of aqueous phenol‐formaldehyde resins used for oriented strandboard manufacturing: Effect of wood flour

The effect of wood flour on the cure kinetics of commercial phenol‐formaldehyde resins used as oriented strandboard face and core adhesives was studied using differential scanning calorimetry. The wood flour did not change the cure mechanism of the face resin, but lowered its cure temperature and activation energy and increased its cure reaction order. For the core resin (CR), the wood flour lowered the onset cure temperature, and caused separation of the addition and condensation reactions involved in curing of CR. Compared with neat CR, the addition reaction of CR/wood mixture also followed an nth‐order reaction mechanism but with a lower reaction order, while the condensation was changed from an autocatalytic reaction to an nth‐order one. The addition reaction happened at temperatures lower than 90°C, and the condensation reaction was dominant at temperatures higher than 110°C. The proposed models fitted the experimental data well. Relationships among cure reaction conversion (cure degree), cure temperature, and cure time were predicted. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102:3774–3781, 2006     

Synthesis and mechanical properties of bio-sourced polyurethane adhesives obtained from castor oil and MDI-modified cellulose acetate: Influence of cellulose acetate modification

In this study, cellulose acetate and castor oil have been used to synthesize new eco-friendly alternatives to traditional polyurethane adhesives. First, cellulose acetate (CA) was modified with diphenylmethane-4,4′-diisocyanate (MDI) at different NCO:OH molar ratios, ranging from 2 to 4.53, and then the resulting biopolymers were mixed with castor oil (CO) at 1:1 wt ratio. The fully cured bio-sourced adhesives were rheologically characterized by applying dynamic oscillatory torsional tests at different temperatures (from −30 up to 200 °C). Furthermore, their adhesion performance on stainless steel and poplar wood substrates was analyzed, by conducting standardized mechanical tests, namely single-lap shear and 180° peel strengths, at room temperature and 100 °C. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance along with differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were also performed. Above a critical NCO:OH ratio, a thermo-rheological simplicity was found within the whole temperature range considered, being able to apply the t-T superposition principle. However, an increase in the temperature led to a depletion in their mechanical performance, thus reducing their temperature range of application. Thermal and spectroscopic analysis corroborated the complete disappearance of free isocyanate during the first few days of curing, and a segmented structure, typical of polyurethanes. Optimum thermo-rheological behaviour and adhesion performance on wood and stainless steel of the bio-sourced polyurethanes studied were found for NCO:OH molar ratios higher than 3.5, which was related to the higher compatibility between hard and soft microdomains.