Over the last few years, biodegradable polyester-based elastomers have been the focus of intense research due to their extraordinary potential for various biomedical applications. The main polymer family consists in the poly(polyol sebacate) (PPS). Their synthesis is typically conducted in two steps: initially pre-polymerization and then further crosslinking. The pre-polymer is formed by heating (110-150 °C for 1–14 h) a mixture of polyol and sebacic acid under at atmospheric pressure. The pre-polymerization is then followed by further curing for several days at high temperature but under vacuum or the curing could be performed using UV irradiation, or chemically using bis-isocyanate compounds. The harsh conditions used are hardly compatible with the functionalization of the elastomer or the incorporation of thermosensible compounds.<br/>The ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ketene acetals (CKA) by free radical or controlled radical mechanisms attracts considerable research interest since it presents an alternative route for the synthesis of aliphatic polyesters. We recently showed that unlike many comonomer pairs (styrene, acrylate, methacrylate derivatives) the free-radical copolymerization between CKA monomers and vinyl ether (VE) derivatives led to a random incorporation of the two monomer units into the backbone. With this approach it is thus possible to prepare cross-linked polyester by the radical copolymerization of CKA monomers with divinyl ether derivatives. This process combines thus the advantages of the radical chemistry (straightforward experimental conditions, compatibility with many functional groups, etc.), a low shrinkage and a fine-tuning of the microstructure of the material.<br/><br/>In this work, we will show that the radical copolymerization of CKA/VE derivatives is a promising method to prepare in a one step and with moderate experimental conditions functionalized degradable elastomers whose mechanical properties could be tuned. The shape of the elastomer is defined by the use of polypropylene molds prepare by 3D printing.

Preparation of cross-linked polyesters by the radical copolymerization of cyclic ketene acetals and divinyl ether derivatives

2019 Spring National Meeting

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