Crosslinkable polyurethane bearing a methacrylate structure in the side chain

A polyurethane bearing methacrylate groups through urethane linkages was prepared by the addition of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl isocyanate to the hydroxyl groups in poly(hydroxyurethane) prepared by the polyaddition of a bifunctional cyclic carbonate with 1,12-diaminododecane. The urethanization proceeded quantitatively in the presence of a catalytic amount of di-n-butyltin dilaurate at an ambient temperature, whereas a crosslinked product was obtained from the reaction at 60 degrees C. The resulting linear polyurethane, bearing a methacrylate structure, was thermally crosslinkable. Its radical copolymerization with vinyl-type monomers afforded the corresponding crosslinked polymers, whose low glass transition temperatures suggested the flexibility of the polymer chains in the crosslinked product. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.