Correlation of Raw Materials and Waterborne Polyurethane Properties by Sequence Similarity Analysis

Anionomer-type waterborne polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) were obtained from poly (propylene glycol) (PPG), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and dimethylolpropionic acid (DMPA) through a modified prepolymer isocyanate process. Two series of polyurethanes were prepared (Groups A and B) and a new prediction model based on grey relational analysis is introduced to predict the impact order of raw materials on several properties, such as solids content, viscosity, acid number and electrolytic stability of polyurethanes. It is found that the model can successfully predict the impact of raw materials on the properties through the designed demonstration experiments. Furthermore, the results of the prediction model show that DMPA plays a key role in viscosity, partial acid values and electrolytic stability.