Influence of the Molecular Weight of the Polycarbonate Polyol on the Intrinsic Self-Healing at 20 °C of Polyurethanes

Different polyurethanes (PUs) were synthesized with polycarbonate polyols of molecular weights of 500, 1000, and 2000 Da. Their self-healing abilities at 20 °C were tested, and their structural, thermal, and mechanical properties were analyzed. The PUs made with polycarbonates of molecular weights 500 (YC500) and 1000 Da (YC1000) exhibited self-healing at 20 °C, and the self-healing time of YC1000 was the shortest. The absence of crystallinity and the low degree of micro-phase separation favored self-healing at 20 °C in YC500. However, the presence of tack and the existence of allophanate species and urethane–carbonate and urea–carbonate hydrogen bonds disfavored self-healing. Consequently, the self-healing time at 20 °C of YC500 was longer than expected. On the other hand, YC1000 exhibited an “equilibrium” between urethane-carbonate and urea–carbonate hydrogen bonds and carbonate–carbonate interactions among the soft segments, so a particular structural order was produced that was associated with its fastest self-healing at 20 °C. The PU made with the polycarbonate of molecular weight 2000 Da did not exhibit self-healing at 20 °C because of its significant micro-phase separation, the presence of semi-crystalline soft domains, and the lower density of hydrogen bonds.