Fabrication of Polydimethylsiloxane-Based Thermoplastic Polyurethanes with Excellent Toughness and Cold Resistance

In order to fabricate a tough material with excellent cold resistance, we designed a series of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs). Bis[(3-(2-hydroxyethoxy)propyl)dimethylsilyl]-terminated PDMS was chosen as a soft segment to interact with a hard segment consisting of dicyclohexylmethane-4,4′-diisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol. By combination of the advantages of PDMS and TPU, the maximum tensile strength of the synthesized PDMS-based TPU reached 18.46 MPa, and the maximum coefficient of cold resistance under compression at −50 °C was 0.704, which is higher than that of traditional cold-resistant rubbers. Remarkably, the prepared PDMS-based TPU is tough enough to function properly at lower temperature as a 3D-printing material and can be utilized in various applications.