Abstract
The homopolymers of tetrahydrofuran, polytetramethylene glycols, may be chain‐extended to form polyurethane elastomers. These materials, while possessing a low glass point temperature, suffer from cold hardening, and it was decided to investigate copolymers of tetrahydrofuran and propylene oxide as elastomer ingredients. The preparation of these copolymers has been achieved by use of a boron trifluoride etherate polymerization catalyst. Details are given of the properties of both the copolymer and derived elastomers at nominal compositions in the range 50–85 wt.‐% of tetrahydrofuran. The copolymers described were synthesized as ingredients for castable elastomers, and in consequence viscosity effects are important. It has been found that no significant increase in viscosity occurs until the tetrahydrofuran content exceeds 75 wt.‐%. This indicates that each side methyl group exerts a screening effect over an average of 13 atoms of the polymer backbones. The mechanical testing of the derived elastomers indicates that the copolymerization of tetrahydrofuran and propylene oxide leads to material possessing a low glass point temperature and much better physical properties than the homopolymer of propylene oxide. The elastic properties of a chain‐extended diol are dependent on the degree of crosslinking and on the incidence of network deficiencies. Network deficiencies are caused by the presence of monofunctional species in the copolymeric diols, and a novel technique for determining diol monofunctionality based on analysis of physical test data was evolved for these studies.