Table II. Structure and properties of some members of three new families of thermoplastic silicone-urethane copolymers (TSPUs) compared with related biomedical polyurethanes.

Polymer Hard Seg. Organic Soft Segment
Wt. % PSX Tensile Strength (psi) Ult. Elong. (%) Initial Modulus (psi) Mw (Daltons)
Pellethane 80A MDI-BD PTMO 0 5700 815 2785 194660
PurSil-10 TSPU MDI-BD PTMO 10 6515 760 2880 182130
PurSil-10 TSPU MDI-BD PTMO 10 6515 760 2880 182130
PurSil-20 TSPU MDI-BD PTMO 20 5710 665 2930 185950
PurSil-40 TSPU MDI-BD PTMO 40 3930 580 3510 145260
MDI-BD-PSX MDI-BD None 60 2275 410 4920 98000
Tecoflex 80A HMDI-BD PTMO 0 5570 715 1240 185000
PurSil Al-5 TSPU HMDI-BD PTMO 5 6225 810 465 243000
PurSil Al-10 TSPU HMDI-BD PTMO 10 6255 835 370 217450
Bionate 80A MDI-BD PC 0 7270 580 1170 330060
CarboSil-10 TSPU MDI-BD PC 10 7140 500 6260 289650
CarboSil-20 TSPU MDI-BD PC 20 5720 480 4125 NA
CarboSil-40 TSPU MDI-BD PC 40 3250 305 6402 216360
Table II. Structure and properties of some members of three new families of thermoplastic silicone-urethane copolymers (TSPUs) compared with related biomedical polyurethanes. (CarboSil AL TSPU series is currently being characterized.) The aromatic PurSil and CarboSil TSPUs have initial modulus values higher than comparable silicone-free polyurethanes. The rubbery, aliphatic PurSil AL TSPUs (center) have high toughness combined with very low tensile modules. Note that typical filled silicone rubber has a tensile strength of ~ 1000 psi and ultimate elongation of ~ 400%. (MDI = diphenylmethane diisocyanate, BD = butane diol, PTMO = polytetramethyleneoxide, PSX = polydimethylsiloxane, Mw = weight-average molecular weight via gel-permeation chromatography.)