Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) molded at 205, 215, and 235 ° C are monitored by SAXS and WAXS during straining. A non-affi ne nanostructure deformation and related evolution mechanisms are found. DSC and microscopy are applied. DSC shows two melting endotherms. The results indicate that melts kept below the second peak stay phase-separated. The orientation parameter f ( ε ) and d f /d ε from WAXS are related to chain orientation mechanisms (strain ε ). SAXS shows hard domains that are only correlated to a next neighbor ("sandwich"). Thick sandwiches lengthen more than thin ones. Thin-layer sandwiches feature a strain limit. Some are converted into thick-layer sandwiches. Two materials have tough hard domains. Material processed at 235 ° C is soft and contains weak hard domains that fail for ε > 0.75. of the material. Block copolymers synthesized by living polymerization are characterized by uniform block lengths. Processing of such compounds may result in lattice-like nanostructures or even in photonic crystals, in which the soft and the hard blocks reside completely in different domains. This is different with thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). Along with their chains a mixed sequence of soft segments and hard segments is found. Thus, even optimum process control only leads to domains of very diverse shape and size, the arrangement of which can rarely lead to lattice-like correlation. Moreover, soft domains may contain several hard segments. Consequently, the chemistry [ 1 ] and the processing conditions [2][3][4][5] defi ne the nanostructure that, in turn, determines the material's mechanical properties. The hard domains form physical cross-links and make the material behave rubber elastic. Because the hard domains are permanent only to a fi rst approximation, the stressstrain behavior of TPUs is subject to "strong hysteresis, time dependence and cyclic softening". [ 6 ] Thus maturing or aging may become a problem, if longer time elapses between investigations with different methods, because in this case the results may not be combined.

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Summary: MDI‐HQEE‐Capa based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with Shore hardness of 94 A was injection molded. In order to study the influence of melt conditions on the material structure evolution and resulting mechanical properties a systematical variation in processing temperatures in the range between 195 °C and 250 °C was applied. The mold temperature was kept constant at 60 °C. Process induced samples morphologies were investigated by means of light microscope (LM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Mechanical visco‐elastic properties were determined by means of cyclic tensile experiment and were correlated with results of structural investigations. The evaluation of morphology micrographs of raw TPU material and specimens molded at different temperatures shows a reduction in visual crystalline fraction. This gains a distinct change in the deformation behavior of injection molded TPU with increasing melt processing temperature.

A study on thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) is described. The investigation focuses on morphology of TPU parts depending on processing conditions and its relation with mechanical and thermal properties. It was found that TPU materials present different crystalline structures depending on chemical composition and melt processing conditions during part manufacturing. Due to that fact, strong variations in mechanical and tribological properties are expected.