ABSTRACT
The above analysis takes the chemical structures, manufacturing methods and selected physical-mechanical properties of linear polyurethanes (i.e. both fi nal products and intermediates in the production of various polyurethane goods) described in literature reports as the reference point. It goes through numerous research reports and applications which have already been learned and described. Despite that, there are still many opportunities to synthesise new polymer systems and to modify known chemical structures and phase structures where linear polyurethanes are involved. The combination of specialised knowledge within the polymer technology, and in particular the kinetics of the step-growth polymerisation process, with the use of the computer simulation methods in designing the synthesis of required macromolecular structures yielded a new potential for the synthesis of linear polyurethanes and development of their applications. The new chemical molecules can be utilised for example in the production of copolymers with chain polymers and condensation polymers, like PU-PDMS systems, i.e. purpose-oriented “tailored” materials intended for medicine, electronics, automotive industry and civil engineering. The possibility of producing modern biomedical materials in that way makes the challenge of the near future. Such new materials would have to be resistant to hydrolysis in the presence of physiological fl uids, they would have no negative impact on blood cells, and they would not induce any infl ammatory condition of tissues in contact with those polymers.
