Construction of a flame retardant polyurethane elastomer with degradability, high mechanical strength and shape memory

In order to promote the application scene of polyurethane (PU) elastomers, the low degradability and poor fire safety are the key problems that need to be solved urgently. In this work, the polyurethane elastomers (PCL-HDI-THPOx) with flame retardant and degradable groups were synthesized. In the Microscale combustion colorimeter (MCC) test, the Total Heat Release (THR) and peak of Heat Release Rate (pHRR) of were decreased by 24% and 26%, respectively. Due to the enhancement of the internal crosslinking network density of the elastomer by THPO, the tensile strength and toughness increased by 450% and 117%, respectively. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) results showed the glass transition temperature (Tg) was between 30 °C and 40 °C, showing good shape memory properties. Surprisingly, the novel elastomer completely degraded in ethanol at 60 °C. Its excellent comprehensive performance will be welcomed in the fields of wearable electronic devices and load-bearing materials.