Synthesis of a new degradable polyurethane elastomer containing polyacetal soft segments

The synthesis of a novel polyurethane elastomer containing degradable polyacetal soft segments was discussed. The method of synthesizing hydroxy-terminated telechelic polyacetals was developed from HBVE which was used as a prepolymer glycol for polyurethane. The synthesis was carried out in the presence of 1,4-butanediol (BD) with p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate as a catalyst in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 0 °C under a dry nitrogen atmosphere. The results show that the polyurethane has the potential to be used as chemically recyclable commodity thermoplastic elastomer.