INFRARED SPECTRAL-ANALYSIS OF EXTRACTABLES FROM POLY(ETHERURETHANE UREA) (PEUU) ELASTOMERS

Poly(etherurethane urea) (PEUU) elastomers when employed as biomedical devices may be susceptible to extraction upon implantation. Four PEUU elastomers containing a single PEUU formulation, but varying in terms of their additives, were subjected to an in vitro extraction procedur e. The additives in the PEUUs were Methacrol(R) 2138 F at 5 wt% and Sa ntowhite(R) powder at 1 wt% levels. Only 1-2 wt% of the PEUUs was extr actable with methanol. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) furnished qualitative and quantitative information on the extractable s. The extractables consisted of a PEUU component that on the average was richer in soft segment than the bulk PEUU, and the two additives, Methacrol(R) 2138 F and Santowhite(R) powder.