ABSTRACT
The specialist literature has so far reported numerous examples of the synthesis and application of even more complex polymer systems which make use of linear polyurethane structures. Which is noteworthy is in particular poly(urethane-acrylate) copolymers due to their ability to form waterborne dispersions which can be utilised in the production of environmentally-friendly polyurethane lacquers and special binding materials applicable for example in the ceramics processes. The powdered materials like corundum (Al2O3) or zirconium oxide (ZrO2) can be blended with polyurethane-acrylate binders and then moulded in the one-axis pressing operation, and the obtained so-called green ceramics can be subjected to preliminary machining. The corrosion-resistant parts of machinery or chemical equipment can thus be brought very close to their fi nal dimensions. After the fi ring process, only minor fi nal adjustments are needed for which very hard and expensive diamond tools are required [202, 203]. In another example, the ceramic-polymeric slurry can be processed in the tape casting process to yield thin ceramic foils for electronics [204, 205]. Mastering the synthesis of such polymer systems is not easy since the reaction stoichiometry needs to be precisely controlled at every successive stage of the process. And even then, we may not declare having learned the manufacturing process for the polymeric binder which offers the fi nal ceramics with repeatable performance properties. The considerable variety of chemical structures in oligomers to be converted into the fi nal urethane-acrylate copolymer will impact the potential for the formation of stable aqueous systems, miscibility of such systems, and chemical affi nity of the polymer for the surface of the ceramic materials. Moreover, phase structures of the systems obtained are equally important as their chemical structures. The former will be affected not only by the chemical structure of the urethane-acrylate ionomer itself, but also by the conditions adopted for the preparation of the polymer-ceramic slurry (with the use of Al2O3
or ZrO2), and by the conditions adopted for the cross-linking process (at the drying step) as well.
