Acronym and details: PU, PUR polyurethane rubber
Group: thermoset as foams; thermoplastic as fibres and surface coatings
Developed: from 1937; still widely used
Trade names: in adapted form: Lycra; Spandex
Manufacturing process: all
Cost: medium
Colour: any
Transparency: transparent to opaque
Rigidity: any
Feel: varies
Smell: none
Other: surface scratches with fingernail
Typical uses: furniture; paint; shoe soles; synthetic leather-like fabrics; bicycle seats; as foams, seating, large mouldings
Degradation: discolouration followed by crumbling, the result of oxidation; foams deteriorate faster due to their greater surface area