- Author
-
Ukpabi, P. O.
|
Obendorf, S. K.
- Title
- Polyurethane Membranes for Surgical Gown Applications.
- Coporate
- International Paper Company, Erie, PA
Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY
- Report
-
ASTM STP 1386,
- Book or Conf
- Performance of Protective Clothing: Issues and Priorities for the 21st Century. Proceedings. Seventh (7th) Volume. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). ASTM STP 1386. June 28-30, 1999,
ASTM, West Conshohocken, PA,
Seattle, WA,
Nelson, C. N.; Henry, N. W., Editors,
190-199 p.,
2000
- Keywords
-
protective clothing
|
protective equipment
|
polyurethane membranes
|
monolithic
|
glycol
|
water vapors
|
barriers
|
comfort
|
experiments
|
infrared spectroscopy
|
thermal analysis
|
physical properties
|
chemical properties
|
differential thermal analysis
|
molecular weight
- Identifiers
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); water vapor transmission; hydrophilic; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS); Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM); polyurethane surface composition by XPS; water contact angles
- Abstract
- Monolithic polyurethane membranes were modified using polyethylene glycols (PEG) of varying molecular weights (M = 400, 3350 and 8000) to make the polymer surface hydrophilic and hence improve their comfort properties without adversely affecting their imperviousness to liquids. Infrared spectroscopy was not sensitive enough to distinguish between the PEG-treated polyurethanes leached in toluene for 72 h and the unmodified polyurethane. However, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the leached samples showed an increase in their C-O content over that of the unmodified material, suggesting covalent attachment of some of the PEG to the polyurethane. The leached PEG-treated samples exhibited lower contact angles with water than the unmodified material. The higher molecular weight glycol-treated samples were subject to swelling in water. Scanning electron microscopy showed no differences in the surface morphologies of treated versus untreated materials.