Surface free energy of polyurethane coatings with improved hydrophobicity.

The polarity of polyurethane coats was studied on the basis of the goniometric method for determination of wetting angle values, on the basis of calculated surface free energy (SFE) values by the van Oss-Good and Owens-Wendt methods, and on the basis of polarity measurements with the use of the (1)H NMR spectra. Test polyurethanes were synthesised in the reaction of methylene diphenyl 4,4'-diisocyanate (MDI) or 3-izocyanatomethyl -3,5,5- trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate (IPDI) and polyoxyethylene glycols or polyesters poly(ε-caprolactone) diols and poly(ethyleneadipate) diol with different molecular weights, and some diols as chain extenders, in dioxane. The type of raw material was found to significantly affect the phase structure of the obtained polyurethane elastomers and to control physical interactions within those structures, thus influencing the SFE values. Fundamental reduction in the SFE value of a coating below 28 mJ/m(2) was achieved by the use of 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoro-1,4-butanediol as the urethane prepolymer chain extender.