Synthesis, characterization and properties of co-poly(ether-urethane-urea)s containing lariat cryptand 22: Li+ harvesting plymers

In this work, some segmented poly(ether–urethane–urea)s (PEUUs) containing aza crown ether (cryptand) were prepared and characterized. These polymers were synthesized via the reaction of kryptofix 22 with 2 mol excess of 4,4′-methylene-bis-(4-phenylisocyanate) (MDI), and different molecular weights of polyethylene glycols (PEGs). Morphology, thermal, and complexation properties of these polymers were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and solid state NMR (S-NMR). The data confirmed complexation ability of these polymers for Li⁺ ion absorption and revealed the effect of Li⁺ ion complexation on the morphology and thermal behavior of the PEUUs.