Fabrication of PLCL Block Polymer with Tunable Structure and Properties for Biomedical Application

• Published in: Macromolecular bioscience 2023-04, Vol.23 (4), p.e2200507-n/a
• Main Authors: Luo, Chenmin, Liu, Shengyang, Luo, Wei, Wang, Jing, He, Hongyan, Chen, Can, Xiao, Lan, Liu, Changsheng, Li, Yulin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biodegradability; Biodegradable materials; Biodegradation; Biomedical materials; Block copolymers; Caproates - chemistry; definite compositions; Elongation; Fabrication; Lactones - chemistry; poly( L‐lactide‐b‐ε‐caprolactone); Polyesters - chemistry; Polymerization; Polymers; Polymers - chemistry; pre‐polymerization; Ring opening polymerization; Segments
• ISSN: 1616-5187; 1616-5195
• DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202200507

Biodegradable materials are pivotal in the biomedical field, where how to precisely control their structure and performance is critical for their translational application. In this study, poly(L‐lactide‐b‐ε‐caprolactone) block copolymers (bPLCL) with well‐defined segment structure are obtained by a first synthesis of poly(ε‐caprolactone) soft block, followed by ring opening polymerization of lactide to form poly(L‐lactide acid)  hard block. The pre‐polymerization allows for fabrication of bPLCL with the definite compositions of soft/hard segment while preserving the individual segment of their special soft or hard segment. These priorities make the bPLCL afford biodegradable polymer with better mechanical and biodegradable controllability than the random poly(L‐lactide‐co‐ε‐caprolactone) (rPLCL) synthesized via traditional one‐pot polymerization. 10 mol% ε‐caprolactone introduction can result in a formation of an elastic polymer with elongation at break of 286.15% ± 55.23%. Also, bPLCL preserves the unique crystalline structure of the soft and hard segments to present a more sustainable biodegradability than the rPLCL. The combinative merits make the pre‐polymerization technique a promising strategy for a scalable production of PLCL materials for potential biomedical application. The pre‐polymerization allows for fabrication of poly(L‐lactide‐b‐ε‐caprolactone) (bPLCL) with the definite compositions of soft/hard segment. These priorities make the bPLCL afford better mechanical and biodegradable controllability. 10 mol% ε‐caprolactone introduction can result in a formation of an elastic polymer. Also, bPLCL preserves the unique crystalline structure of the soft and hard segments to present a more sustainable biodegradability.