Patent ID: 8592530

Claim:
A process for making a polyurethane elastomer, comprising: transesterifying one or more polyesters selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylene adipate) glycol, poly(diethylene adipate) glycol, poly(ethylene/diethylene adipate) glycol, poly(ethylene/propylene adipate) glycol, poly(butylene adipate) glycol, poly(ethylene/butylene adipate) glycol, poly(butylene/hexamethylene adipate) glycol, poly(hexamethylene adipate) glycol, poly(neopentyl adipate) glycol, poly(hexamethylene/neopentyl adipate) glycol, poly(ethylene succinate) glycol, poly(diethylene succinate) glycol, poly(ethylene/diethylene succinate) glycol, poly(ethylene/propylene succinate) glycol, poly(butylene succinate) glycol, poly(ethylene/butylene succinate) glycol, poly(butylene/hexamethylene succinate) glycol, poly(hexamethylene succinate) glycol, poly(neopentyl succinate) glycol, poly(hexamethylene/neopentyl succinate) glycol, poly(hexamethylene decanedioate) glycol, poly(butylene/hexamethylene decanedioate) glycol, poly(hexamethylene dodecanedioate) glycol, poly(butylene/hexamethylene dodecanedioate) glycol, poly(hexamethylene adipate/dodecanedioate) glycol, poly(butylene/hexamethylene adipate/dodecanedioate) glycol, poly(hexamethylene azelate) glycol, poly(butylene/hexamethylene azelate) glycol, poly(hexamethylene adipate/azelate) glycol, poly(butylene/hexamethylene adipate/azelate) glycol, and mixtures thereof, with a polycaprolactone to form a copolyester polyol wherein the polycaprolactone has a weight average molecular weight of from 400 to 10,000 amu and the weight ratio of the one or more polyesters to the polycaprolactone is from 1:5 to 5:1; reacting the copolyester polyol with diphenylmethane diisocyanate or 2,4-toluene diisocyanate to form a prepolymer; and curing the prepolymer with a diamine chain extender or a polyol chain extender selected from the group consisting of polybutadiene polyol, resorcinol di(beta-hydroxyethyl) ether , resorcinol di(beta-hydroxypropyl) ether, hydroquinone-bis-hydroxyethyl ether, 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol, trimethylol propane, triisopropanolamine, triethanolamine; adducts of propylene oxide having molecular weights in the range of from 190 to 500 and adducts of ethylene oxide having molecular weights in the range of from 190 to 500, to form the polyurethane elastomer.