Jansen J, Ghaffar A, van der Horst TNS, Mihov G, van der Wal S, Feijen J, Grijpma DW. Controlling the kinetic chain length of the crosslinks in photo-polymerized biodegradable networks.
J Mater Sci Mater Med 2013;
24:877-888. [PMID:
23371770 DOI:
10.1007/s10856-013-4873-x]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2012] [Accepted: 01/18/2013] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Biodegradable polymer networks were prepared by photo-initiated radical polymerization of methacrylate functionalized poly(D,L-lactide) oligomers. The kinetic chains formed in this radical polymerization are the multifunctional crosslinks of the networks. These chains are carbon-carbon chains that remain after degradation. If their molecular weight is too high these poly(methacrylic acid) chains can not be excreted by the kidneys. The effect of the photo-initiator concentration and the addition of 2-mercaptoethanol as a chain transfer agent on the molecular weight of the kinetic chains was investigated. It was found that both increasing the initiator concentration and adding 2-mercaptoethanol decrease the kinetic chain length. However, the effect of adding 2-mercaptoethanol was much larger. Some network properties such as the glass transition temperature and the swelling ratio in acetone are affected when the kinetic chain length is decreased.
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