Synthesis of poly(lactic acid)‐based polyurethanes

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable aliphatic polyester, but its brittleness makes it unsuitable for many packaging and appliance applications. The goal of the work reported was to create novel poly(ester urethane)s that incorporate biodegradable poly(lactic acid) diols (PLA‐OHs) and good mechanical properties of increased molecular weight via crosslinked network formation for engineering plastics applications. Three kinds of polyols (PLA‐OHs, PLA‐OHs/poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol or PLA‐OHs/poly(butylene adipate) glycol (PBA)) and two kinds of diisocyanates (4,4‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) or toluene 2,4‐diisocyanate (TDI)) were chosen for the soft and hard segments to compare their mechanical properties. In addition, 1,4‐butanediol and trimethylolpropane were each used as chain extender agents. Results showed the PLA/PBA‐polyurethanes (PLA/PBA‐PUs) of the MDI series and the PLA/PBA‐PUs of the TDI series had improved thermal stability and enhanced mechanical properties. Degradation behavior showed the PLA‐based polyurethanes could be degraded in phosphate‐buffered saline solution and enzyme solution. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Thermomechanical properties and morphology of interpenetrating polymer networks of polyurethane–poly(methyl methacrylate)

Interpenetrating networks (IPNs) of polybutadiene‐based polyurethane (PU) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were synthesized. The effect of the incorporation of 2% glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2‐HEMA) on the thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of IPNs was investigated. Both 2‐HEMA and GMA led to improvements in these properties. However, 2‐HEMA‐containing IPNs showed somewhat better tensile strength, elongation, and damping characteristics. The morphology of IPNs containing 2‐HEMA showed better mixing of the components. The improvement in the properties was observed for up to 40% PMMA in the IPNs. Differential scanning calorimetry thermograms showed the presence of three glass transitions. The third glass‐transition temperature was explained by possible grafting of methyl methacrylate onto PU. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1576–1585, 2002     

Mechanical properties of blocked polyurethane/epoxy interpenetrating polymer networks

The mechanical properties of blocked polyurethane(PU)/epoxy interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) were studied by means of their static and damping properties. The studies of static mechanical properties of IPNs are based on tensile properties, flexural properties, hardness, and impact method. Results show that the tensile strength, flexural strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, and hardness of IPNs decreased with increase in blocked PU content. The impact strength of IPNs increased with increase in blocked PU content. It shows that the tensile strength, flexural strength, tensile modulus, and flexural modulus of IPNs increased with filler (CaCO₃) content to a maximum value at 5, 10, 20, and 25 phr, respectively, and then decreased. The higher the filler content, the greater the hardness of IPNs and the lower the notched Izod impact strength of IPNs. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of IPNs were shifted inwardly compared with those of blocked PU and epoxy, which indicated that the blocked PU/epoxy IPNs showed excellent compatibility. Meanwhile, the T_g was shifted to a higher temperature with increasing filler (CaCO₃) content. The dynamic storage modulus (E′) of IPNs increased with increase in epoxy and filler content. The higher the blocked PU content, the greater the swelling ratio of IPNs and the lower the density of IPNs. The higher the filler (CaCO₃) content, the greater the density of IPNs, and the lower the swelling ratio of IPNs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1826–1832, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane/poly(vinylidene chloride) interpenetrating polymer networks

A series of polyurethane (PU)/poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVDC) interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) were synthesized through variations in the amounts of the prepolyurethane and vinylidene chloride monomer via sequential polymerization (80/20, 60/40, 50/50, 40/60, 30/70, and 20/80 PU/PVDC). The physicomechanical and optical properties of the IPNs were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) studies of the IPNs were performed to establish their thermal stability. TGA thermograms showed that the thermal degradation of the IPNs proceeded in three steps. Microcrystalline parameters, such as the crystal size and lattice disorder, of the PU/PVDC IPNs were estimated with wide‐angle X‐ray scattering. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1375–1381, 2007     

New thermoplastic segmented polyurethanes with hard segments derived from 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate and methylenebis(1,4‐phenylenemethylenethio)dialcanols

New thermoplastic poly(ether–urethane)s and poly(carbonate–urethane)s were synthesized by a one‐step melt polymerization from poly(oxytetramethylene) diol (PTMO) and poly(hexane‐1,6‐diyl carbonate) diol (PHCD) as soft segments, 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate, and 2,2′‐[methylenebis(1,4‐phenylenemethylenethio)]diethanol, 3,3′‐[methylenebis(1,4‐phenylenemethylenethio)]dipropan‐1‐ol or 6,6′‐[methylenebis(1,4‐phenylenemethylenethio)]dihexan‐1‐ol as unconventional chain extenders. The effects of the kind and amount of the polymer diol and chain extender used on the structure and properties of the polymers were studied. The polymers were examined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction analysis, atomic force microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), TGA coupled with FTIR spectroscopy, and Shore hardness and tensile testing. The obtained high‐molecular‐weight polymers showed elastomeric or plastic properties. Generally, the PTMO‐based polymers exhibited significantly lower glass‐transition temperatures (up to ?48.1 vs ?1.4°C), a higher degree of microphase separation, and ordering in hard‐segment domains in comparison with the corresponding PHCD‐based ones. Moreover, it was observed that the polymers with the PTMO soft segments showed poorer tensile strengths (up to 36.5 vs 59.6 MPa) but higher elongations at break. All of the polymers exhibited a relatively good thermal stability. Their temperatures of 1% mass loss were in the range 270–320°C. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Sequence analysis and fiber properties of a blend of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐4,4′‐bibenzoate)

Blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐4,4′‐ bibenzoate) (PETBB) are prepared by coextrusion. Analysis by ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy shows that little transesterification occurs during the blending process. Additional heat treatment of the blend leads to more transesterification and a corresponding increase in the degree of randomness, R. Analysis by differential scanning calorimetry shows that the as‐extruded blend is semicrystalline, unlike PETBB15, a random copolymer with the same composition as the non‐ random blend. Additional heat treatment of the blend leads to a decrease in the melting point, T_m, and an increase in glass transition temperature, T_g. The T_m and T_g of the blend reach minimum and maximum values, respectively, after 15 min at 270°C, at which point the blend has not been fully randomized. The blend has a lower crystallization rate than PET and PETBB55 (a copolymer containing 55 mol % bibenzoate). The PET/PETBB55 (70/30 w/w) blend shows a secondary endothermic peak at 15°C above an isothermal crystallization temperature. The secondary peak was confirmed to be the melting of small and/or imperfect crystals resulting from secondary crystallization. The blend exhibits the crystal structure of PET. Tensile properties of the fibers prepared from the blend are comparable to those of PET fiber, whereas PETBB55 fibers display higher performance. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 1793–1803, 2004     

Property evaluation and structure analysis of polyurethane/epoxy graft interpenetrating polymer networks

Polyurethanes obtained from 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and polydiols with different molecular weights (polyethylene glycol and polyoxypropylene diols) were used as modifiers for diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A. Impact strength (IS), critical stress intensity factor (K_C), flexural strength and flexural strain at break were measured as a function of polyurethane (PUR) type and content. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed for the structure and morphology analysis. It was found that the addition of polyurethane with an excess of isocyanate groups to epoxy resin resulted in the formation of a grafted interpenetrating polymer network structure. The mechanical properties of epoxy resin were improved with 5 and 10% PUR. Moreover, it was observed that composites containing PUR based on higher molecular weight (PUR 1002 and PUR 2002) with long flexible segments exhibited higher impact strength while PUR prepared from polyethylene glycol had a higher flexural energy to break and a higher flexural modulus. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Surface and bulk properties of poly(ether urethane)s/fluorinated phosphatidylcholine polyurethanes blends

As a part of long‐term project aimed at biomembrane mimicking polyurethanes (PU) with excellent biocompatibility and good mechanical properties, in this work, we report the surface and bulk properties of two series blends of fluorinated phosphatidylcholine polyurethanes (FPCPU) with poly(ether urethane)s (PEU). The blend films were prepared by solution mixing, and the surface and bulk properties were investigated by contact angle measurement, XPS, DSC, and Instron. Our results demonstrated that the surface with high percentage of phosphorus, fluorine, and nitrogen content could be achieved by blending FPCPU with PEU, because of the migration of FPCPU to the surface, resulting in a decreased water contact angle and increased hystersis. The blend films showed a reversible rearrangement of surface structure according to the change of environment from dry state to hydrated state. DSC result suggested that FPCPU could be phase miscible with PEU well in a broad composition region (as the content of FPCPU is less than 50 wt %). The blends showed an increased tensile strength and elongation at break compared with FPCPU, and increased modulus compared with PEU. Combined with the improved mechanical properties and much reduced price, together with the excellent blood compatibility, it can be expected these materials may play important roles in future medical application. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. JAppl Polym Sci, 2008     

Properties of crosslinked polyurethanes obtained by acrylic side‐group polymerization and of their blends with various plant oils

Novel polyurethane elastomers have been developed to incorporate plant oil into their matrix. Bisphenol A glycerolate diacrylate was used as a chain extender for the polyurethane prepolymer obtained from poly(tetramethylene oxide) glycol and 1,6‐hexane diisocyanate. The curing of the polyurethane acrylate matrix in the presence of the plant oil results in a network matrix which includes renewable resources in their structure. The effects of the inclusion of different vegetable oil (such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cotton oil, or sunflower oil) into the crosslinked polyurethane acrylates matrix were studied by evaluating various properties of the films such as the thermal behavior, the tensile properties, and the surface properties. The increases in chain extender content determine an increase of the thermal stability (the 10% weight loss decomposition temperatures increase from 325 to 375°C) and mechanical strength (from 3 to 9 MPa). Contact angle measurements have shown that the hydrophobic property of the films surface slightly increased with the incorporation of plant oil into the crosslinked polyurethane matrix. In addition, polyurethane/plant oil blends exhibit enhanced mechanical strength (from 3 to 9.8 MPa), as well as an increased roughness reaching a maximum average (113 nm) in the case of cotton oil. All polyurethane/plant oil blend present higher values for glass transition temperature and slightly enhanced values for thermal stability. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Engineering properties of poly(vinyl chloride)–poly(butyl methacrylate) semi‐1 and semi‐2 interpenetrating polymer networks

Semi‐1 and semi‐2 interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and in situ formed poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) have been synthesized using diallyl phthalate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the crosslinkers of PVC and PBMA, respectively. These were then characterized with reference to their mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties. The mechanical and thermal characteristics revealed modification over the unmodified polymeric systems in relation to their phase morphologies. The semi‐1 IPNs displayed a decrease in their mechanical parameters of modulus and UTS while semi‐2 IPNs exhibited a marginal increase in these two values. The semi‐1 IPNs, however, also revealed a decrease in the elongation and toughness values away from the normal behavior. The thermomechanical behavior of both the systems is in conformity with their mechanicals in displaying the softening characteristics of the system and stabilization over unmodified PVC. The DSC thermograms are also correlated to these observations along with the heterogeneous phase morphology which is displayed by both the systems especially at higher concentration of PBMA incorporation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Semi‐ and full‐interpenetrating polymer networks based on polyurethane produced from canola oil and poly(methyl methacrylate)

Semi‐ and full‐interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) were prepared using polyurethane (PUR) produced from a canola oil‐based polyol with primary terminal functional groups and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The properties of the material were studied and compared using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile measurements. The morphology of the IPNs was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Semi‐IPNs demonstrated different thermal mechanical properties, mechanical properties, phase behavior, and morphology from full IPNs. Both types of IPNs studied are two‐phase systems with incomplete phase separation. However, the extent of phase separation is significantly more advanced in the semi‐IPNs compared with the full IPNs. All the semi‐IPNs exhibited higher values of elongation at break for all proportions of acrylate to polyurethane compared with the corresponding full IPNs. These differences are mainly due to the fact that in the case of semi‐IPNs, one of the constituting polymers remains linear, so that it exhibits a loosely packed network and relatively high mobility, whereas in the case of full IPNs, there is a higher degree of crosslinking, which restricts the mobility of the chains. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Polyurethane–epoxy maleate of bisphenol a semi‐interpenetrating polymer networks

Semi‐interpenetrating polymer networks were synthesized starting from polyurethane (PU) and epoxy maleate of bisphenol A (EMBA). Differential scanning calorimetry and swelling measurements showed good miscibility and the presence of the strong intermolecular interactions within the synthesized networks. The physicomechanical properties increased against PU to a maximum value with the increasing of EMBA content up to 12 wt % and then decreased with further increasing EMBA content. Generally, with exception of the elongation at the limit of elasticity, the mechanical properties improved very much under action of the UV radiation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 138–144, 2002     

Increasing the compatibility of poly(l‐lactide)/poly(para‐dioxanone) blends through the addition of poly(para‐dioxanone‐co‐l‐lactide)

To modify the mechanical properties of a poly(l ‐lactide) (PLLA)/poly(para‐dioxanone) (PPDO) 85/15 blend, poly(para‐dioxanone‐co‐l ‐lactide) (PDOLLA) was used as a compatibilizer. The 85/15 PLLA/PPDO blends containing 1–5 wt % of the random copolymer PDOLLA were prepared by solution coprecipitation. Then, the thermal, morphological, and mechanical properties of the blends with different contents of PDOLLA were studied via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile testing, respectively. The DSC result revealed that the addition of PDOLLA into the blends only slightly changed the thermal properties by inhibiting the crystallization degree of the poly(l ‐lactide) in the polymer blends. The SEM photos indicated that the addition of 3 wt % PDOLLA into the blend was ideal for making the interface between the PLLA and PPDO phases unclear. The tensile testing result demonstrated that the mechanical properties of the blends containing 3 wt % PDOLLA were much improved with a tensile strength of 48 MPa and a breaking elongation of 214%. Therefore, we concluded that the morphological and mechanical properties of the PLLA/PPDO 85/15 blends could be tailored by the addition of the PDOLLA as a compatibilizer and that the blend containing a proper content of PDOLLA had the potential to be used as a medical implant material. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41323.     

Characterization of the mechanical and thermal properties and morphological behavior of biodegradable poly(L‐lactide)/poly(ε‐caprolactone) and poly(L‐lactide)/poly(butylene succinate‐co‐L‐lactate) polymeric blends

Two series of biodegradable polymer blends were prepared from combinations of poly(L ‐lactide) (PLLA) with poly(?‐caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(butylene succinate‐co‐L ‐lactate) (PBSL) in proportions of 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, and 70/30 (based on the weight percentage). Their mechanical properties were investigated and related to their morphologies. The thermal properties, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and melt flow index analysis of the binary blends and virgin polymers were then evaluated. The addition of PCL and PBSL to PLLA reduced the tensile strength and Young's modulus, whereas the elongation at break and melt flow index increased. The stress–strain curve showed that the blending of PLLA with ductile PCL and PBSL improved the toughness and increased the thermal stability of the blended polymers. A morphological analysis of the PLLA and the PLLA blends revealed that all the PLLA/PCL and PLLA/PBSL blends were immiscible with the PCL and PBSL phases finely dispersed in the PLLA‐rich phase. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Damping properties of interpenetrating polymer networks of polyurethane‐modified epoxy and polyurethanes

Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) were prepared from polyurethane (PU)‐modified epoxy with different molecular weight of polyol and polyurethanes based on the mixture of polydiol and polytriol by a one‐shot method. Two types of PU‐modified epoxy: PU‐crosslinked epoxy and PU‐dangled epoxy were synthesized, and the effects of the different molecular weights of polyol in the PU‐modified epoxy/PU IPNs on the dynamic mechanical properties, morphology, and damping behavior were investigated. The results show that the damping ability is enhanced through the introduction of PU‐modified epoxy into the PU matrix to form the IPN structure. As the molecular weight of polyol in PU‐modified epoxy increases, the loss area (LA) of the two types of the IPNs increases. PU‐dangled epoxy/PU IPNs exhibit much higher damping property than that of the PU‐crosslinked epoxy/PU IPNs with 20 wt % of PU‐crosslinked epoxy. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 328–335, 1999     

Synthesis and characterization of interpenetrating polymer networks from polyurethane and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate

Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) combining polyurethane (PU) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) networks were prepared with simultaneous polymerization. PU was synthesized from biocompatible and biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone) diol, and the hydroxyl group of poly(ethylene glycol) was substituted with a crosslinkable acrylate group. The effects of the PU/PEGDA compositions and the crosslink density of PU and PEGDA on the thermal properties, swelling ratio, surface energy, mechanical properties, and morphologies were investigated. The mechanical properties of PEGDA networks were improved by the presence of PU networks, particularly in the 75% PU/25% PEGDA IPNs. All PU/PEGDA IPNs showed a microphase-separated structure with cocontinuous morphology, as observed by atomic force microscopy, which was in agreement with the results of swelling ratio and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis measurements. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Toughening of an epoxy resin with hydroxy‐terminated poly(arylene ether nitrile) with pendent tertiary butyl groups

Hydroxy‐terminated poly(arylene ether nitrile) oligomers with pendent tert‐butyl groups (PENTOH) were synthesized by the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of 2,6‐dichlorobenzonitrile with tert‐butyl hydroquinone in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone medium with anhydrous potassium carbonate as a catalyst at 200°C in a nitrogen atmosphere. The PENTOH oligomers were blended with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy resin and cured with 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl sulfone. The curing reaction was monitored with infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The morphology, fracture toughness, and thermomechanical properties of the blends were investigated. The scanning electron micrographs revealed a two‐phase morphology with a particulate structure of the PENTOH phase dispersed in the epoxy matrix, except for the epoxy resin modified with PENTOH with a number‐average molecular weight of approximately 4000. The storage modulus of the blends was higher than that of the neat epoxy resin. The crosslink density calculated from the storage modulus in the rubbery plateau region decreased with an increase in PENTOH in the blends. The fracture toughness increased more than twofold with the addition of PENTOH oligomers. The tensile strength of the blends increased marginally, whereas the flexural strength decreased marginally. The dispersed PENTOH initiated several toughening mechanisms, which improved the fracture toughness of the blends. The thermal stability of the epoxy resin was not affected by the addition of PENTOH to the epoxy resin. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Six‐arm star‐shaped polymer with cyclophosphazene core and poly(ε‐caprolactone) arms as modifier of epoxy thermosets

A six‐arm star‐shaped poly(ε‐caprolactone) (s‐PCL) based on cyclophosphazene core was obtained by presynthesis of a hydroxy‐teminated cyclophosphazene derivative and subsequent initiation of the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone, and its use in different proportions as toughening modifier of diglycidylether of bisphenol A/anhydride thermosets was studied. The star‐shaped polymer was characterized to have approximately 30 caprolactone units per arm. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed a nonsignificant influence on the curing process of the epoxy‐anhydride formulation by the addition of s‐PCL. The s‐PCL‐modified epoxy thermosets exhibited a great improvement in both toughness and strength compared with the neat resin, as the result of a joint effort by the internal rigid core and the external ductile polyester chains of s‐PCL. When the addition of the modifier was 3 wt %, an optimal mechanical and thermomechanical performance was achieved. The impact resistance and tensile strength of the cured epoxy resin were enhanced by 150% and 30%, respectively. The glass transition temperature was also increased slightly. Moreover, the addition of the star‐shaped modifier had little harmful effect on the thermal stability of the material. Thus s‐PCL was proved to be a superior toughening agent without sacrificing thermal and mechanical properties of the thermosets. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44384.     

Biocomposites based on lignin and plasticized poly(L‐lactic acid)

In this research work, biocomposites based on a ternary system containing softwood Kraft lignin (Indulin AT), poly‐L ‐lactic acid (PLLA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been developed. Two binary systems based on PLLA/PEG and PLLA/lignin have also been studied to understand the role of plasticizer (i.e., PEG) and filler (i.e., lignin) on the overall physicomechanical behavior of PLLA. All samples have been prepared by melt‐blending. A novel approach has also been introduced to improve the compatibility between PLLA and PEG by using a transesterification catalyst under reactive‐mixing conditions. In PEG plasticized PLLA flexibility increases with increasing content of PEG and no significant effect of the molecular weight of PEG on the flexibility of PLLA has been observed. Differential scanning calorimetry and size‐exclusion chromatography along with FTIR analysis show the formation of PLLA‐b‐PEG copolymer for high temperature processed PLLA/PEG systems. On the other hand, binary systems containing lignin show higher stiffness than PLLA/PEG system and good adhesion between the particles and the matrix has been observed by scanning electron microscopy. However, a concomitant good balance in stiffness introduced by the lignin particles and flexibility introduced by PEG has been observed in the ternary systems. This study also showed that high temperature reactive melt‐blending of PLLA/PEG leads to the formation of a segmented PLLA‐b‐PEG block copolymer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Thermal and mechanical properties of polyisobutylene‐based thermoplastic polyurethanes

We investigated thermal and mechanical properties of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) with the soft segment comprising of both polyisobutylene (PIB) and poly(tetramethylene)oxide (PTMO) diols. Thermal analysis reveals that the hard segment in all the TPUs investigated is completely amorphous. Significant mixing between the hard and soft segments was also observed. By adjusting the ratio between the hard and soft segments, the mechanical properties of these TPUs were tuned over a wide range, which are comparable to conventional polyether‐based TPUs. Constant stress creep and cyclic stress hysteresis analysis suggested a strong dependence of permanent deformation on hard segment content. The melt viscosity correlation with shear rate and shear stress follows a typical non‐Newtonian behavior, showing decrease in shear viscosity with increase in shear rate. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 891‐897, 2013