Poly(ether-urethane) is a polymer synthesized via the polyaddition reaction of hydroxyl-terminated polyethers and diisocyanates; its molecular structure is characterized by the alternating linkage of polyether segments and isocyanate-derived groups. Also referred to in academic literature as "polyether-type polyurethane," this term was approved and released by the National Committee for Terms in Sciences and Technologies in 2016 and is included in *Terms in Chemistry* (2nd Edition).
In the 1970s, Feng Xinde's team elucidated the grafting sites and mechanisms of poly(ether-urethane) through reactions involving model compounds; this work received the Second Prize of the State Education Commission's Science and Technology Progress Award in 1986. Synthetic methods include the two-step solution polymerization process-using polytetrahydrofuran-propylene oxide copolyether, diphenylmethane diisocyanate, and butanediol to prepare block poly(ether-urethanes) with varying hard-segment contents-and low-temperature solution polycondensation, which employs silicon-containing chain extenders to synthesize heat-resistant, silicon-containing poly(ether-urethanes). Applications range from medical implants such as cardiac pacemakers and artificial blood vessels to use as three-dimensional porous scaffold materials in tissue engineering. Researchers have also developed environment-responsive poly(ether-urethanes) for controlled drug release and improved their hemocompatibility using ozone-activation grafting technology.
