Poly(ester urethane)s derived from lactide,isosorbide, terephthalic acid,and various diisocyanates

Isosorbide‐initiated oligomerizations of l ‐lactide were preformed in bulk using SnCl₂ as catalyst. The resulting telechelic OH‐terminated oligoesters were in situ subjected to simultaneous polycondensation and polyaddition with mixtures of terephthaloyl chloride and diisocyanates. Most polymerizations were conducted with 4,4′‐diisocyanatodiphenyl methane and 2,4‐diisocyanato toluene. The consequences of excess diisocyanate and four different catalysts were studied. The isosorbide/lactide ratio and the terephthalic acid/diisocyanate ratio were varied. Number average molecular weights up to 15 kDa with polydispersities around 3–5 were obtained. Depending on the chemical structure of the copolyester and on the feed ratio, incorporation of urethane groups may reduce or enhance the glass‐transition temperature, but the thermal stability decreases dramatically regardless of composition. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 867–875