Synthesis and characterization of thermal and mechanical properties of poly(glycerol sebacate) elastomers

In the present work, we reported on preparation of poly(glycerol sebacate) elastomer using different catalysts: p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate (PTS), concentrated and diluted sulphuric acid. The ATR-FTIR spectra confirmed the strong hydrogen bonding in synthesized thermoset elastomer. The investigation was focused on evaluation of mechanical and thermal properties depending from the catalytic systems used for the synthesis. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies demonstrated that synthesized elastomers are fully amorphous at 37°C. Additionally, the type of catalyst also affected the position of glass transition temperature. Derived stress- strain curves were characteristic for soft and elastic materials and demonstrated that the highest tensile strength (0.67 MPA) was obtained for system catalyzed with concentrated sulphuric acid.