Novel approach of making porous polyurethane membrane and its properties for apparel application

Porous polyurethane (PPU) membranes have particular significance for various uses, for example, laminated textiles, cell seeding, biomaterials, tissue engineering, and so forth. In this research, the synthesis of segmented PUs was conducted using a two-step polymerization method and additional highly PPU membranes were produced by the leaching technique, using highly water-soluble silica particles. A crucial discovery during this work was reducing the particle leaching time. To make a porous structure, the particles were leached out from the PU matrix over 5 min through sonication. An investigation was conducted into the surface morphology of the PPU membrane using a scanning electron microscopy. The microporous average diameter was approximately 2 μm. Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, water vapor transmitting, and water droplet resisting ability were the tests conducted to explore the properties of the porous membrane. The effects of different silica particle percentage ratios were investigated. Additionally, a highly porous membrane was laminated with fabric to obtain a water drop resistant, water vapor transmittable, and mechanically strong textile. Such a highly porous promising PU membrane may have a use in tissue engineering and laminated textiles. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48566.