Synthesis and degradation of biodegradable polyurethanes
Absztrakt
In this research, six samples of biodegradable polyurethanes were synthesized and investigated under natural conditions. The polymers were synthesized by reacting polycaprolactone, polycarbonatediol polyols with 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate or 4,4’-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate and glucose was used as a cross linking agent to improve biodegradability. Once synthesized, the biodegradability and properties of the polymers were observed by placing fragments of the samples in soil, exposing them to sunlight and submerging them in a water complex that contained detergent. The degradation of the polyurethanes under the named conditions was then observed by measuring the change in mass of the samples over time. The trend in mass changes under the three conditions was visualized graphically and the degree of disintegration was calculated to evaluate the biodegradability of the samples over time. Since this research was done in a relatively short span of time there were little changes to the samples due to uncontrollable natural conditions like the weather, but significant data was obtained which assisted in analysing how the biodegradability of a polyurethanes can be improved.