In order to prepare a novel highly elastic biomaterial, a ABA-type triblock copolyether where A was polyethylene oxide (PEO) and B was poly (tetrahydrofuran) was synthesized from hydroxyl-terminated poly(tetrahydrofuran) (HT-PT). Segmented polyurethaneurea was obtained from this copolyether by the prepolymer method together with 4, 4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate and ethylene diamine. Blood compatibility tests both
in vitro (the Lee-White coagulation test and micrographic observation of platelet adhesion) and
in vivo (short-term implantation for canine peripheral veins) showed that SEUUs were superior in antithrombogenicity to SPUU, which was a segmented polyurethaneurea synthesized from HT-PT. Both SEUUs and SPUU were highly elastic materials with high tensile strength. Especially, the SEUU having EO content of 33mol% displayed a distinctive mechanical properties, i.e., very low moduli and high elongation with high tensile strength. The apparent network-chain density by use of the Mooney-Rivlin equation was of the order of 10
-4mol/cm
3, and the c
2 term was found to change with EO content in SEUU. By stress relaxation tests in normal saline solution at 37°C, it was found that the relaxation decreased with the increase of EO content. These findings may suggest that the microphase separation in the polyurethaneureas is much influenced by the introduction of PEO segments in them.
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