Hydroxyl‐terminated poly(urethane acrylate) as a soft liner in dental applications: Synthesis and characterization

Hydroxyl‐terminated poly(urethane acrylate)s were synthesized for use in biomedical applications. Acrylate end capping via an interesterification reaction was successfully achieved with methacryloyl chloride addition to the hydroxyl ends of the polyurethane at low temperatures. 2,4‐Toluene diisocyanate, 1,6‐hexane diisocyanate, and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate were used as diisocyanates for urethane synthesis, and they were end‐capped with methyl methacrylate and hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The nature of the monomers that we used had an effect on the thermal and morphological properties that were interpreted in terms of the level of hydrogen bonding and the degree of phase separation. The synthesized polymers were characterized by NMR, Fourier transform infrared/attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatography. The number‐average molecular weights of the poly(urethane acrylate)s were 2500–6000 g/mol. To use the polymer as a soft‐liner material in denture applications, the residual isocyanate should not exist. In this study, we showed that a prepolymer without residual isocyanate could be synthesized. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010