New Polyurethane Elastomers with Enhanced Thermal Stability

A series of polyurethane elastomers with enhanced thermal stability was prepared and their physical and thermal properties were studied. For this purpose in the first step, an excess amount of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate was reacted with poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol to produce isocyanate-terminated polyurethane pre-polymer. In the second step, a new imide-based diol chain extender was synthesized via reaction of benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride with 5-amino-1-naphthol. Finally, reaction of the pre-polymer with chain extender resulted in preparation of polyurethane elastomers. Presence of imide unit in the polymer backbone improved their properties and enhanced thermal stability of polyurethane.