Hydrophicic and hydrophobic polyether polyurethanes and uses therefor

A polyether polyurethane having improved slip comprising the reaction product of polyoxyethylene diol having a number average molecular weight of from about 400 to about 20,000, the amount by weight of the polyoxyethylene diol in the reaction mixture being at least 60%, and a polyetherpolycarbonate diol having a number average molecular weight of from about 1000 to about 2,200, and optionally one or more diols selected from polyoxypropylene diol having a number average molecular weight of from about 200 to about 4,000, a polyoxytetramethylene diol having a number average molecular weight of from about 200 to about 4,000, a polydimethylsiloxane polyoxyalkylene copolymer diol having a number average molecular weight of from about 500 to about 3,000, and a polybutylene oxide having a number average molecular weight of from about 1000 to about 3,000;

• an alkylene glycol selected from ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexane diol, tripropylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 2,-4-pentane diol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, cyclohexanediol, cyclohexanedimethanol, dipropropylene glycol, and diethylene glycol, and mixtures thereof;
• an organic diisocyanate;
• and water in an amount by weight of from about 0.03% to about 0.45% of the reaction mixture, the ratio of NCO to OH of the diols, the alkylene glycols and water being from about 0.85 to about 0.99.

An amphiphilic polyurethane comprising a reaction product of a hydrophilic diol of polyoxyethylene diol having a number average molecular weight of about 4,000 to about 10,000 in an amount of about 45% to about 96% and polyoxyethylene diol having a number average molecular weight of about 600 to about 2,000 in an amount of about 0.5% to about 10%;

• a hydrophobic polyoxyalkylene diol selected from at least one hydrophobic diol selected from the group consisting of polyoxytetramethylene diol having a number average molecular weight of from about 600 to about 3,000, polyoxypropylene diol having a number average molecular weight of from about 400 to about 2,500, a polyether polycarbonate diol having a number average molecular weight of about 1,000 to about 2,000, and a polydimethylsiloxane polyoxyalkylene copolymer having a number average molecular weight of about 500 to about 3,000 wherein the polyoxyalkylene is selected from polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene, the amount by weight of the hydrophobic diol in the reaction mixture being from about 0.01 to about 20%.
• water in an amount by weight of about 0.005% to about 0.30% of the reaction mixture, the ratio of NCO to OH of the diol and water by about 0.80 to about 0.99.