Additive manufacturing has enabled a new frontier for regenerative medicine as it can be used to fabricate patient and defect specific devices rapidly and precisely. However, despite the rapid development of 3D printing technology, a lack of diversity in printable materials significantly limits the use of 3D printing as a common biofabrication technique in medicine. Poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) is a bioresorbable polymer that can be printed using stereolithographic processes, which makes it a promising candidate for tissue engineering applications. However, the high viscosity of PPF necessitates the addition of an equal weight of diethyl fumarate (DEF) as a reactive solvent to ensure the printability. In this study, a ring-opening copolymerization of propylene oxide with maleic anhydride and cyclic anhydride using a Mg(BHT)2(THF)2 catalyst followed by an isomerization yields a poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) analogue. These polymers have well-defined molecular masses, molecular mass distributions, and a lower viscosity than pure PPF. Mass spectrometry and kinetic studies show that the resulting copolymers have a gradient compositional sequencing. The lower viscosity of the poly(propylene fumarate-co-succinate) (PPFS) enables 3D printing a lower DEF weight fraction in resin formulations. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the printed structure can be tailored according to the succinate composition and the resin formulation.

Synthesis and 3D printing of poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) derivatives

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.