The effect of epoxy vitrimer on the structure and properties of thermoplastic polyurethane/polycaprolactone polymer composites

A vitrimer (ESO-S) was prepared by direct curing of epoxy soybean oil (ESO). A series of polymer/ESO-S blend composites were prepared by adding different content of ESO-S, and the corresponding characteristics change of thermoplastic polymer composites was explored. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test demonstrated that ESO-S can achieve covalent bonding and intermolecular hydrogen bonding between ESO-S and polymer matrix, thus the interfacial compatibility between composite components was improved. The tensile strength of composites was increased by adding the ESO-S of suitable content. The tensile strength reached the maximum value (38.15 MPa) when the ESO-S content was 0.8 wt%. In addition, the thermal stability and melting temperature of the composites were also improved.