CHARACTERIZATION OF EXTRACTABLE SPECIES FROM POLY(ETHERURETHANE UREA)(PEUU) ELASTOMERS

Methanol extracts of four poly(etherurethane urea) (PEUU) materials we re analyzed using Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC). The additives i n the materials were Santowhite(R) powder at 1 wt% and Methacrol(R) 21 38 F at 5 wt% loading levels. One-to-two wt% of the original PEUU film s was extractable with methanol. The extractables consisted of a low m olecular weight (Mw) PEUU polymer, an MDI-rich oligomer, the additives Santowhite(R) (SW) powder and Methacrol(R) 2138 F, and aniline. The l ow Mw PEUU polymer had a M(w) of 12000 relative to polystyrene, and th e MDI-rich oligomer had a M(w) of 1000 relative to polystyrene. Quanti tation of all extracted species was achieved using GPC; the use of dua l-detectors on the GPC made it possible to determine the soft-to-hard composition of the PEUU extracts as a function of molecular weight.