Design, synthesis and characterization of novel poly(urethane-urea) based on a macrodiol from poly(lactic acid) and poly(p-dioxanone)

A series of novel poly(urethane-urea) (PUU) was synthesized from poly(lactide-co-p-dioxanone) macrodiol (HO-P(LA-co-PDO)-OH), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and butanediamine (BDA). The obtained PUU, which is recorded as P(LA-co-PDO)-PUU here, may demonstrate enhanced phase separation and thus improved shape memory property. FTIR was employed to characterize the copolymers, and the effects of NCO/OH molar ratios on T(g) of PUU was investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results revealed the successful synthesis of P(LA-co-PDO)-PUU. In addition, the T(g) of P(LA-co-PDO)-PUU increased from 37.9 degrees C to 44.2 degrees C with the increase NCO/OH ratios from 1.1 to 1.2. The P(LA-co-PDO)-PUU with T(g) close to body temperature will have potential applications as shape memory polymers in biomedical fields, especially in minimally invasive surgery. (C) 2010 Yan Feng Luo. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.