Enhancing Breathability of Bio-polyurethane Membrane Films by Hybridizing Them with TiO2 


Vol. 53,  No. 2, pp. 83-90, Apr.  2016
10.12772/TSE.2016.53.083


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  Abstract

The aim of this work was to enhance the water vapor permeability of bio-polyurethane thin film, whose essential application is as a non-microporous type of film in breathable fabrics, by hybridizing it with nano- and micro-sized titania (TiO2). The bio-polyurethanes were synthesized from 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and a polyol mixture containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) and soybean oil-based polyol, that is, bio-glycols by the hydroxylation of soybean oils upto 25% by weight of bio-polyurethane. We studied the effect of hybridizing the bio-polyurethane films with hydrophilic nano- or micro-sized TiO2 on their breathability by measuring the water contact angle and the water vapor permeability of the films; it was found to significantly enhance the permeability of the bio-polyurethane film. Further, nano-TiO2 was more effective than micro-TiO2 due to the higher surface area resulting from nano particles. On the other hand, it is expected that it would be possible to provide additive functionality to the bio-PU membranes due to photocatalytic effect of nano-TiO2.

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