Investigations on the thermal stability of a MDI based polyurethane elastomer

The thermal degradation of a polyurethane elastomer based on 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, poly(ethyleneadipate) diol copolyester and extended with 1,4-butanediol has been studied by simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry analysis, in nitrogen atmosphere, up to 600 °C. The evolved gas analysis was performed using a quadrupole mass spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer equipped with external modulus for gas analyses.