Synthesis of bis‐triethoxysilane endcapped polyurethane/urea and its self‐assembly morphologies with the assistance of hydrogen ion

A type of bi-triethoxysilane endcapped polyurethane/urea (SPU) with well-defined structure was synthesized through the reaction of polyethylene glycol (PEG), 2, 4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and bis-[trimethoxysiylpropyl]amine (DB-520). The structure of the resultant product was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR). Different SPU nanoparticles were obtained with the assistance of hydrogen ion, and their morphologies were characterized by combination of transmission microscopy (TEM) and FT-IR. The results showed that with increasing the concentration of hydrogen ions, the ratio of condensation accordingly increased, accompanying with the nanoparticle's morphology change from sphere to rod. Furthermore, the dispersion mechanism of SPU chains in protonic solution and the arrangement of molecular chains in hybrid particles were proposed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.