Development and characterization of nanohydroxyapatite modified ethylene co vinyl acetate millable polyurethane

Abstract

Polymer blends are indeed the mixtures of two or more polymers having distinct features. newlineThrough polymer blending, one can achieve various desired attributes such as enhanced newlinemechanical features, sorption properties, thermal and electrical characteristics etc., often, newlineat a low cost. Blending also opens up new windows to enhance the processability, product newlineflexibility and lightness of the final products. Macromolecular systems modified with newlinesuitable fillers, in order to achieve multi-faceted features, are called polymer composites. newlineA variety of composites with interesting mechanical, thermal, electrical and optical newlineproperties have, by now, been developed for utilization in aerospace, biomedical, and newlineindustrial applications. newlineEVA is a perfect choice when a material with combination of softness, flexibility and newlinepolarity is needed. Based on the vinyl acetate content, EVA can have different physicochemical properties. Polyurethanes (PU) are prepared by the condensation newlinepolymerization between diisocyanates and polyols. Polyurethanes received much newlineattention on account of their high dielectric constant, mechanical properties, chemical newlineinertness and processability. Millable polyurethanes (MPU) are elastomeric in nature and newlinecan be processed through conventional rubber processing strategies. Nanohydroxyapatite newline(nHA) is a polar filler compatible with many polar polymers. Recent reports show that newlinenHA is an ideal partner to effectively modify the biocompatible, piezoelectric and newlinemechanical features of different macromolecular systems. newlineThe objective of the present thesis is to investigate nHA as a functional filler in EVAMPU blends, to modulate the mechanical, dielectric, piezoelectric and solvent resistant newlinefeatures. A simultaneous enhancement of the biocompatibility of the systems is also a newlinetarget, in view of the possible biomedical applications. newline