title: Effects of ethyl and benzyl groups on the miscibility and properties of castor oil-based polyurethane/starch derivative semi-interpenetrating polymer networks.
abstract: Cornstarch derivative (ES), prepared using diethyl sulfate as an etherifying reagent, was blended with castor oil-based polyurethane (PU) prepolymer to obtain a series of semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) materials, named as UES films. Simultaneously, other kinds of semi-IPN (UBS2) were prepared from PU and benzyl starch (BS2) to compare the effects of the substitute groups. The differences in the miscibility and properties of the two series of materials were investigated using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, water-sensitivity and tensile testing. The experimental results revealed that UBS2 films exhibit stronger interfacial attraction and better phase mixing than the UES films, as a result of specific interactions between the PU hard segments and BS2 phenyl groups. The optical transmittance, water-resistivity, tensile strength, and elongation at break of the UBS2 films were clearly higher than those of the UES films containing the same concentration of PU. In particular, the miscibility and properties of the UES film with 40 wt.-% ES, were very poor, whereas the semi-IPN films containing 70 wt.-% benzyl starch still had a certain miscibility and good properties. Therefore, the phenyl groups play an important role in the improvement of the miscibility and properties of the semi-IPN materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Yixiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001593:Benzyl Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D002368:Castor Oil / Q000737:chemistry*; D005019:Ethyl Ethers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008970:Molecular Weight; D044367:Phase Transition; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D012212:Rheology; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013213:Starch / Q000737:chemistry*; D013718:Tensile Strength; D044366:Transition Temperature; D014783:Viscosity; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001593:Benzyl Compounds; D005019:Ethyl Ethers; D011108:Polymers; D011140:Polyurethanes; D014867:Water; D002368:Castor Oil; D013213:Starch