Comparative Study of New Generation Thermoplastic Elastomers and Polyester-Polyester Thermoplastic Elastomers

摘要

New generation thermoplastic Elastomers (Elastollan~® HPM) & Polyester-Polyester thermoplastic Elastomers (COPE) are block copolymers of hard and soft segments. The hard segments are semi-crystalline thermoplastic that act as physical cross-links which ties the amorphous elastomeric soft segments together. On one hand, the hard segment should have regular structure to promote crystallinity. On the other hand, the soft segment would have irregular structure and low glass transition temperature to promote low temperature flexibility. The melting point of the hard segment would influence the upper use-temperature of TPE, whereas, the glass transition temperature of the soft segment would influence the lower use-temperature of TPE. In this work HPM, are compared to traditional TPU and COPE. Several testing methods are used to compare the flow parameter, and physical & thermal properties of these materials. Melt-viscosity, tensile, tear, compression set, and long-term properties exemplified in hydrolysis resistance & oven aging are discussed and compared.