Studies on zinc-containing poly(urethane-ether)s

Zinc-containing poly(urethane-ether)s (PUEs) were synthesized by the reaction of hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) or toluylene 2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) with a mixture of zinc salt of mono(hydroxyethoxyethyl)phthalate [Zn(HEEP)(2)] and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG(300) or PEG(400)) by using di-n-butyltin dilaurate as a catalyst. Blank PUEs without [Zn(HEEP)(2)] were also prepared by reaction of PEG300 or PEG400 with HMDI or TDI. Thus prepared PUEs were characterized by FT-IR, H-1 and C-13 NMR, solid-state C-13-CP-MAS NMR, viscosity, solubility, and X-ray diffraction studies. Thermal properties of the polymers were studied by using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry.