Polymer Materials Synthesis Protocol

The following materials were used: HPC average Mw~80,000, average Mn~10,000, powder, 20 mesh particle size, (99% purity, Merck, Darmstadt, Germany); GL (pure 98%, Sigma-Aldrich, Taufkirchen, Germany); ethylene carbonate (EC, pure ≥ 99%, Fluka, Buchs, Switzerland); potassium carbonate (anal. grade 100%, POCH, Gliwice, Poland); ethylene glycol (EG, pure, POCH, Gliwice, Poland); triethylene glycol (TEG, Merck, Darmstadt, Germany); diethylene glycol (DEG, p.a. Chempur, Piekary Śląskie, Poland); polymeric diphenylmethane-4,4′-diisocyanate (pMDI, Merck, Darmstadt, Germany; contains both bifunctional and trifunctional isocyanates); triethylamine (TEA, anal. Grade, Fluka, Buchs, Switzerland); surfactant Silicon L-6900 (pure, Momentive, Wilton, CT, USA); glycerol (GLYC, anal. grade 99.5–100%, POCH, Gliwice, Poland).