Thermoelastomers are a class of synthetic materials commonly employed in the textile industry, especially as mono- or multi-layer mono- or bi-adhesives for clothing and sport apparel. They are highly appreciated for their flexibility and elasticity, a characteristic that arises from their chemical nature, in which two domains are present: a HARD rigid, crystalline block and a SOFT flexible one (Fig. 1). Typically, they are composed of a polyurethane hard segment bonded with a polyether/ester soft chain [1]. Nowadays, the call for sustainability imposes the design and production of mono-material products that guarantee maximum recyclability at the end of their life cycle, in order to enhance circular economy practices. In this regard the project is focused on the production of polyester or polyamide based thermoelastomers for application with polyester or polyamide based fabrics, respectively, with the additional aim of avoiding the use of non-sustainable polyurethane materials [2]. To obtain satisfactory results the research is focus on the design and synthesis of polymers with both the HARD and SOFT segments, to produce novel block copolymers that possess good physical and mechanical properties (viscosity, elongation and elastic behaviour) and at the same time higher content of bio-based materials and easier recyclability at the end of life. All the materials are characterized to study thermal, macromolecular and rheological properties and films are produced by solvent casting to verify their elasticity (Fig. 2) and to measure mechanical properties by elongation test. Simulations of real application are performed applying mono- and multilayer films on polyamide or polyester based fabrics. The most promising materials will be scaled up for a real industrial application, thanks to the collaboration of one of the project partners, Framis Italia S.p.A.

References

1- R.J. Spontak, N. P. Patel Curr. Opin. Colloid Interface Sci. 2000, 5, 333.

2- S. Fakirov, Handbook of Condensation Thermoplastic Elastomers, 2005, City, ISBN 9783527606610, Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Acknowledgments

Funded by Regione Lombardia PR FESR 2021-2027 - ASSE 1 - “UN’EUROPA PIÙ COMPETITIVA E INTELLIGENTE” - OBIETTIVO SPECIFICO 1.1 “Sviluppare e rafforzare le capacità di ricerca e di innovazione e l’introduzione di tecnologie avanzate” - AZIONE 1.1.3. “Sostegno all’attuazione di progetti complessi di ricerca, sviluppo e innovazione” - BANDO COLLABORA & INNOVA. Project ID: 6012095