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 Tg 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 Tg of P(LA-co-PDO)-PUU increased from 37.9 °C to 44.2 °C with the increase NCO/OH ratios from 1.1 to 1.2. The P(LA-co-PDO)-PUU with Tg close to body temperature will have potential applications as shape memory polymers in biomedical fields, especially in minimally invasive surgery.