We have a keen interest in the design, preparation and investigation of engineering polymers that are derived from renewable biofeedstock resources and produce those same environmentally-benign and bioresorbable natural products upon degradation. Quercetin, and many of its derivatives, are well studied molecules with interesting bioactivities, but until now it has not been incorporated to form the backbone of a polymer. Described here is a novel, polycarbonate, 3,7,4'-tribenzyl quercetin polycarbonate (tBQPC), which is synthesized from 3,7,4'-tribenzyl quercetin. This polymer has been characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). In addition to the inherent opportunity for replacement of bisphenol A-based polycarbonates and bioapplication benefits of it being potentially biodegradable, this polymer expresses bright broad-band auto-fluorescence. Preliminary investigations of the emission properties suggest monomeric, dimeric and higher order delocalized excited states. In total, the tBQPC system presented here represents a new class of environmentally-friendly, degradable polymers, which have the potential for applications as a homopolymer system, a copolymeric signaling agent or a stand-alone photonic material. Moreover, its development in optically-responsive, mechanically-robust materials for orthopedic, dental and other biomedical applications is underway. 

Synthesis and characterization of a novel, degradable polycarbonate derived from 3,7,4'-tribenzyl quercetin

246th National Meeting (2013)

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