Modification of Segmented Polyurethanes with Copper Coordination Compounds

Abstract The modifying effect of the metal complex system (MC) obtained using CuCl 2 and N,N ′‐diethylhydroxylamine on the supramolecular organization of segmented polyurethanes (SPU) was investigated. SPU, preliminarily synthesized and dissolved in tetrahydrofuran, was used for the interaction. Coordination bonding already at 0.1 wt.% CuCl 2 leads to a 10‐fold increase in the particle sizes of modified SPU (MSPU). Similar to the abrupt increase in the particle sizes of MSPU, there is an abrupt increase in the values of strength and a decrease in the electrical resistance. A significant effect of the modification on the supramolecular organization of MSPU is observed. Changes in the supramolecular organization of the MSPU are manifested already with the involvement of one molar unit of CuCl 2 per hundred molar units of hard segments. Such a significant effect of a small amount of MC on the properties of MSPU cannot be interpreted within the framework of the traditional approach to coordination binding. It is assumed that significant orientation processes occur in the polymer matrix of MSPU, caused by the cooperative nature of interactions. The beginning of such interactions is given by the coordination binding of urethane groups included in the structure of rigid blocks of the SPU.