Effect of chain extenders on the thermal and thermodegradation behavior of carbonatodiol thermoplastic polyurethane

In this study, we investigated the impact of chain extenders with varying numbers of carbon atoms (2–6) on the thermal degradation behavior of thermoplastic polyurethanes based on diol carbonate (TPU) in air and nitrogen atmospheres. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were utilized to evaluate phase separation and thermal degradation, respectively. The experimental data provided valuable insights into the thermal degradation of TPUs and the mechanisms involved in the process. In addition, the physical/chemical nature of the process was considered when explaining the degradation mechanisms. Our results showed that the 4-carbon chain extender exhibited a longer average degradation time than the other chain extenders due to the stabilization of the urethane bond, as confirmed by both ANSI/ASTM D-2307 and the artificial neural network (ANN). Using the isoconversional method and an ANN approach, we obtained reliable kinetic data that allowed us to predict the materials’ endurance time and thermal degradation behavior by constructing a dedicated network. This proposed methodology can be applied to other materials and characterization techniques, provided sufficient data is available. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the thermal degradation behavior of TPUs and provides insights that can help develop more robust and durable materials for various applications.