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Thermo-Desorption Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) was used to investigate the thermal degradation of two different polyurethanes (PU). PU samples were heated at different heating rates and the desorbed products were collected in a cold injection system and thereafter submitted to GC-MS. Prospects and limitations of the detection and quantification of semi-volatile degradation products were investigated. A temperature dependent PU depolymerization was
found at temperatures above 200 °C proved by an increasing release of 1,4-butanediol and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) representing the main building blocks of both polymers. Their release was monitored quantitatively based on external calibration with authentic compounds. Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) of the residues obtained after thermodesorption confirmed the initial competitive degradation mechanism indicating an equilibrium of crosslinking and depolymerization as previously suggested. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry of SEC fractions of thermally degraded PUs provided additional hints on degradation mechanism.
Polyurethanes (PU) are formed by polyaddition reaction between diols and diisocyantes. They can be formed utilizing three building blocks, namely a polyol or long-chain diol, a chain extender or short-chain diol, and a diisocyanate. The derived multi-phase block copolymer has thermoplastic properties and is called thermoplastic PU (TPU). This modular approach allows for a variety of alternations yielding a broad range of structural properties and applications. TPUs are based on three main classes of polyols, i.e. polyethers, polyesters, and polycaprolactones. With these different polyols and the ability of changing the ratio of building blocks a variety of material properties can be obtained thus TPUs find numerous applications in e.g. lightweight construction1, insulation, flame retardants, lacquer and glue, as well as medicine.
Linear, isocyanate terminated, polyurethane prepolymers prepared from non-equivalent amounts of diisocyanate such as methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) attached to a polyol are widely used as precursors of the correspondent polymers. Chain-extending reactions with low molecular weight compounds bearing different amounts of active hydrogens enable both linear and crosslinked polyurethane to be formed.
Due to TPUs being used in a broad range of applications facing a variety of stress (e.g. mechanical, hydrolytic, thermal, radiative/UV, as well as its combinations) the complexity of possible degradation mechanism is high. A functional group derived from degradation of the bulk matrix can be detected utilizing a suited fluorogenic sensor molecule. There are several fluorogenic dyes known for the application as sensor for amine groups e.g. fluorescamine, pyrylium dyes, deriving a fluorescent signal upon reaction.