Water Resistant-Breathable Hydrophilic Polyurethane Coatings

Abstract

Polyurethane (PU) coatings on nylon fabric that have high moisture permeability and water repellency properties have been developed. These PU coatings are prepared by reacting ∈-caprolactam-4,4'-diphenyl methane diisocyanate (MDI) adduct with hydrophobic polyols; subsequently deblocking of ∈-caprolactam was carried out using polyethylene glycol (PEG) of different molec ular weights at ambient temperature. The hydrophobic and hydrophilic segment bal ance was adjusted by changing the molecular weight of PEG to impart optimum moisture permeability properties. © 1995, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.