Series of waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) containing poly(tetra methylene glycol) (PTMG), 4,4-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate (HMDI), 2,2-dimethylolpropionic acid (DMPA), 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD), isosorbide (ISO) and ethylenediamine (EDA) were synthesized. The effects of ISO on the structure and properties of WPUs were studied by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), mechanical test, chemical resistance and hardness test. The deconvolution analysis of FTIR of WPUs revealed that the hydrogen bond interaction in the WPUs increased with the increase of ISO content. Furthermore, the degree of microphase separation was increased with the increase of hydrogen bond interaction, which was confirmed by DSC, XRD and DMTA test. The results demonstrated that the addition of ISO can increase the hydrogen bond interaction between the hard and hard segments in WPUs, which improved the mechanical properties of the WPU films. The highest tensile strength was obtained of 59.67 MPa when the content of isosorbide was 10.35 wt%. Moreover, the ISO was helpful to improve the chemical resistance and hardness of the coatings by the comprehensive performance analysis. Keywords: isosorbide, micro-phase separation, waterborne polyurethane, mechanical properties.

Keywords: isosorbide, micro-phase separation, waterborne polyurethane, mechanical properties