Effect of soft segment chemistry on the biostability of segmented polyurethanes. I. In vitro oxidation.

A series of segmented polyurethanes (SPUs) containing various polyol soft segments was prepared and their resistance to oxidative degradation was investigated after aging in AgNO3 solution. The SPU with the polyether soft segment showed a large reduction in mechanical strength after exposure to the oxidative environment. Surface cracking was often observed for these specimens. XPS measurements revealed that scission of the ether linkage occurs upon oxidation. The oxidative resistance of SPUs containing aliphatic hydrocarbon soft segments was significantly improved over the poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO) based polyurethane.