Preparation, morphology and mechanical properties of acrylate-modified polyurethane/unsaturated polyester resin graft-IPNs

Acylate-modified polyurethane resin was first first synthesized, and interpenetrated with unsaturated polyester resin to form IPNs and gradient IPNs which cured at room temperature. The polymerization process was traced by an IR spectroscopy technique and the simultaneous interpenetrating techniques were determined. The morphology of these IPNs were estimated by TMA and TEM methods. The results indicated that large amount of interpenetrating and entanglement make T_g linked up effectively, and domains between two phases can be in nanometer ranges, which changed with composition ratios. The mechanical properties results showed that IPNs varied from elastomeric to plastic materials. It was noteworthy that, with the introduction of modified groups and the formation of graft construction in IPNs, the miscibility in the systems was improved a lot. These further led to the improved mechanical properties of IPNs with elastomer reinforced and plasticizer toughened as well. The reinforced miscibility between the networks can apparently change mechanical property especially for the gradient ones when the materials are elongated.